


When the Sun Falls

by bladewielder05



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Abuse, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Awkwardness, Dark, Developing Friendships, Dimension Travel, Doubt, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, F/M, Family, Family Drama, Family Issues, Family Secrets, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, How Do I Tag, M/M, Masks, Mild Language, Misunderstandings, Protective Siblings, Protectiveness, Psychological Drama, Sarcasm, Secrets, Self-Doubt, Sibling Bonding, Slight Novelization, Slow To Update
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2018-09-09 11:53:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 38,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8889775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bladewielder05/pseuds/bladewielder05
Summary: People believed that he was different from her. She went insane studying about the Ultra Beasts, and he had to stop her with his team of Pokémon he raised and cherished. But that wasn’t true. He had a lot more in common with her than others thought. They both loved Pokémon, people trusted them, they were strong trainers, and they hid a darker side few knew.However, unlike Lusamine, he was able to keep up his façade. He was able to keep up his deception, play his little game, and smile all the way up to his Champion position. Only the people and Pokémon close to him saw his true nature, or, at least, hints of it. And unlike Lusamine, they couldn’t change him. For better or for worse.Though perhaps…that wasn’t really a bad thing at all.





	1. A Mistake in Its Choice

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't played Pokémon Sun and Moon, what the hell are you doing reading this story? Go buy the game (unless you're waitin' for the rumored Pokémon Stars) and play the damn game because it's damn awesome.
> 
> If you have played, then I hope you enjoy this story.

The moment they moved a couple of boxes into their new house in the Alola region, Sun straggled into his new room with Cloud on his shoulder and dropped dead on the bed. He was out like a light the moment his body hit the sheets, his pikachu curled up right at the crook of his neck. He had no idea that the airplane ride could take so much out of him considering all he did was sit in one place. The time difference between Johto and Alola probably had something to do with it. One hour was fine. One and a half was stretching it. Thankfully his mother didn't mind her son taking a nap for a while.

Key words, for a while. Sun didn't think he slept that much when her meowth suddenly ran into the room to screech him awake. Although his heart leapt into his throat and he felt Cloud jump from his neck in surprise, Sun simply opened his eyes. Bare walls greeted him with nothing. He blinked once to clear his mind. The 11-year-old boy then calmly rolled to his side to see his pikachu angrily hissing at Meowth from his spot on the desk. Sun smirked at the sight before sitting up. Both Pokémon looked at him for a brief moment. With his errand done, Meowth quickly scampered from the room, leaving Cloud to his own devices. The pikachu, on the other hand, leapt from his spot to land on his usual place of Sun's shoulders. The electric mouse nuzzled his cheeks against Sun's, a tiny spark jolting through the boy's body. He barely flinched from the familiar feeling as his trademark smile widened. He scratched Cloud's chin, earning a small chirp of appreciation.

"I wonder what Mom wants that made her get her damn meowth to wake us up," Sun muttered more to himself than to Cloud. Cloud still shrugged an answer. He remembered the first time Meowth woke Sun up, things did not bode well for the scratch cat Pokémon. That was why Meowth stood at such a distance to shriek the pikachu's trainer awake. The boy shrugged in turn before standing up to leave his room. Of course he still had his belongings to unpack, but there was also always the next day. He was more concerned with what his mom wanted now.

Sun stepped into their spacious living room. His black eyes scanned the place on a more alert note, taking in the details he didn't notice before in his exhausted state. While there were a couple of boxes in the corner that still needed to be unpacked, the house still reflected their old home back in Johto as close as possible with a large TV in front of their dining table. He had a moment to wonder briefly to himself when his mother had gone out to buy food in the brown bags on the counter and table. Then Sun spotted the woman of the hour. His smile twitched slightly when he saw her meowth hiding behind her legs. She smiled brightly at him, placing her hands on her hips.

"Good morning, Sun! Or should I say good evening?" She gestured to the open, side door where the sky inked black and the moon rose high. Sun covered his mouth to suppress his laugh.

"Good evening, Mom. Did I sleep for long?"

"Long enough, in my opinion. I think you should have enough energy to meet some Alolan Pokémon now. Excited?"

"Hmm…" Sun crossed his arms and closed his eyes in thought. "I don't know…"

At his answer his mother laughed. "Don't lie to me, young man! You're as excited as I am to see the different Pokémon here! Especially those variants of Kanto Pokémon! Do you know that Cloud would evolve into a different type of raichu if you give him a Thunder Stone here?"

"Pi?" Cloud tilted his head to the side in confusion. The pikachu had no idea that he could evolve into something else other than a raichu. It still had the same name but something had to be different about the Alolan raichu for his trainer's mom to mention it. He glanced at the boy, who simply scratched the electric mouse's chin in response. Sun opened his mouth to answer only to be interrupted by the doorbell. Everybody looked over to the door.

"That's probably Professor Kukui. Could you let him in, Sun?"

The boy nodded as he made his way over to the door. However the moment he reached the end of their dining table, the professor simply opened and entered by himself. Sun blinked twice, his mouth twitching slightly. _Sure, why not let yourself in?_ He thought to himself. _It saves time and energy on my part._ Despite the sarcastic thought, he retained his smile as he examined the man who just entered. He recognized him from their video chat yesterday but there were no signs of the rockruff that wanted to play with him. As ever, the professor had on his lab coat without a shirt to cover his muscled body. A white hat with a blue and red, half-pokeball symbol covered his brown hair and he still wore his slightly tinted glasses despite it being night already.

"Hey there, Sun! Good to finally meet you!" Professor Kukui smiled. "How you feelin' after all that jet lag?"

Sun smiled. "Tired, but I should be good now."

"Haha, I could tell! My daughter always feels the same way traveling back and forth!" the older man chuckled. His eyes left Sun's face to look at the woman who was walking up behind her son. "Hey there, Nova! Welcome to Alola!"

"Do you always just walk through the door without an invitation?" Sun's mom giggled to let him know that she didn't particularly mind.

The professor laughed at that. "Only for you guys! It's nice to finally see you here all the way from Kanto. Or was it Johto? You move between the two regions too often, Nova!"

"The Johto region. And it's been too long since I returned to Kanto. But after seeing you battle all those Indigo Gym Leaders with your Pokémon, I fell in love with Alola's Pokémon. I just had to move here myself!"

"Yeah, they sure showed me that they were a force to be reckoned with!" Professor Kukui laughed again. Then he looked back over at Sun, or rather, Cloud. The boy could feel his pikachu shifting himself on his shoulder. The professor's eyes sparkled at the sight of Cloud. "That's your pikachu, Sun?"

The boy nodded in response. "Say hi, Cloud."

"Pika!" Cloud held out a paw in greeting with a smile.

"I bet you teach him some pretty neat moves, yeah? I'd like to see them sometime!" Professor Kukui placed his hands on his hips. "But I'm surprised. I wasn't expecting you to have a Pokémon already."

"Well, surprise surprise!" Sun said cheerfully as he gently took Cloud off his shoulder to hug. His Pikachu squeaked affectionately as his cheeks sparked with electricity. Professor Kukui chuckled at the heartwarming bond between the two.

"I still think it's a good idea to visit the Island Kahuna. What do you say? Who knows? Maybe he'll give a Pokémon too, yeah!"

Sun lifted an eyebrow as the right side of his mouth twitched. "Really?"

The professor nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, sure. The kahuna who lives in Iki Town is always happy to give any kid who wants to have an adventure with their first Pokémon. Although you have a Pokémon already, I'm sure he wouldn't mind giving a Pokémon as a welcoming gift."

"They'll simply give my boy a Pokémon? Then those kahunas really are worth meeting!" Nova commented. "Maybe I should get a Pokémon from them as well!"

"Mom, you're too old for an adventure!" Sun giggled. He said slyly, "You already had one with Dad that might have been the worst mistake of your life!" He ducked underneath a swinging arm, giggling in time with his mom.

"Don't get cheeky with me, young man! Get ready! Your things are still in those boxes."

"Okay, Mum."

"Bet you've got a stylin' hat that'll match mine, yeah?" Kukui said as he gestured to his hat.

"Nope! Mine's a lot better than t-yours." Sun smiled. He hurried off into his room with Cloud still in his arms. The moment he closed the door, Cloud leapt from his arms to land on the floor.

"Chu…" The Pikachu proceeded to rub down his face and cheeks. Sun's smile widened at the sight of Cloud getting ready before he turned his attention to the boxes at the foot of his bed. He dug through it and found his favorite hat and backpack. Thinking for a moment, he searched around some more to find his wallet with passport. The boy tucked those deep into his backpack for safekeeping. He had a feeling that he would be needing them despite the seemingly short visit. He stood up from his kneeling position to see that Cloud was ready as well.

"Nice?"

"Pika!" Cloud nodded as he climbed up Sun's leg. He didn't get far when his trainer grabbed him again to help him onto his usual spot. "Pi~."

Sun exited his room to see the two adults laughing at something Meowth was doing. The sound of the door clicking shut prompted his mom to look up at him. Upon seeing him all ready in his gear, Nova grinned. "You look ready for anything now. Have a good time out there!"

"That's one stylin' hat, cousin!" Kukui gave Sun a thumbs-up. "Let's head on over to Iki Town! Time for you to get a real nice Pokémon from the island kahuna, oh yeah!" Before Sun could respond, the professor exited the house. Sun raised an eyebrow, the right side of his mouth twitching slightly. He didn't expect the professor to be this active, though comparing Kukui's age to other professors Sun knew, it made sense. The boy was about to follow him when he felt warm, familiar arms wrap around him. Instinctively he patted the arms in response.

"Good-bye, Sun."

"Bye, Mom. I'll bring back a nice Pokémon," Sun said. He felt the arms loosen and he walked towards the door. The first thing he noticed upon leaving was the chilly night air. It was amazing, he thought, how cold it could get despite Alola being in the tropics. He wondered briefly to himself how hot places like Antarctica could get before searching around for the professor. Cloud tapped his cheeks to alert him to a direction. Sun saw Kukui standing at a fork in the road, waving to him. Sun smiled and hurried over there.

"Now this is more like it, yeah!" Kukui said once the boy reached him. The professor inhaled deeply, taking in the natural air of the region. He spread out his arms to gesture to the surrounding nature. Leafy trees grew on either side with log fences paving the road. "Welcome to paradise, cousin. This is the Alola region! First, we're off to Iki Town! It's not fair if we cut up here. Come on!" Kukui started up the raised road towards the destination. Footsteps behind him alerted him that Sun was following close behind. He could hear the boy muttering muted words to his pikachu, who responded back with his own chirps. The thought of the close bond between the two made Professor Kukui smile. It reminded him of how he got along with his old Pokémon when he himself was doing the island challenge. If there weren't other things keeping him busy, he probably would have tried his hand at the trials once again, just to have that exhilarating surge of energy that could only be felt in a battle.

His thoughts were broken when he saw two trainers just outside of Iki Town wave a greeting to them. They faced each other with the younger of the two commanding a yungoos while the older had a pikipek. Professor Kukui and Sun both waved back.

"Hey, you're the new kid who just flew in, right?" the younger of the trainers asked. "Let's have a battle sometime!"

Sun covered his mouth, the corners still lifted up in that same grin. "Sometime," the boy agreed. Kukui smiled at that.

"All right! Iki Town's just right over here!" he said as he turned to walk up the stairs. Yet as he took one step up, he thought he heard somebody say "never" behind him. The word held slight contempt and bitterness in it. It sounded oddly like Sun even though he didn't seem to be the type to discreetly refuse the boy like that. The professor took a quick glance over his shoulder to see Sun interacting with his pikachu again. This time Sun held Cloud in his arms. Kukui shook away that strange thought. It was probably just his imagination.

His cheerfulness returned when the pair finally step foot into their destination. "And we're here! This right here is Iki Town!" Professor Kukui introduced. Naturally both Sun and Cloud took a look at their surroundings. There were a few houses raised on different levels. Groves of trees grew between them with a larger grove of a forest standing just beyond the raised platform in the middle of the town. Sun blinked at the largest house behind the raised platform. He surmised that that was probably where the kahuna lived. His attention returned to Professor Kukui when the older man spoke again, "This town is where folks come to worship the Pokemon that watches over Melemele Island. Tapu Koko keeps us all safe and happy, see!"

"Tapu Koko?" Sun questioned.

Kukui nodded. "Yup. That's our island guardian. You'll hear more about it once you meet up with the kahuna…" Sun heard the merriment slowly slip from the professor's tone. He saw him look around the slightly empty town. There were perhaps only a few people waiting around. For what reason, Sun wasn't sure. It didn't take long for Sun to figure out what got the professor bummed. "Huh? What's goin' on here? We were supposed to meet everybody right here, yeah." Professor Kukui crossed his arms in thought. "Maybe they're all back there on Mahalo Trail. That's where the ruins of Tapu Koko are, yeah…" After a moment of weighing his options, the professor turned to look at Sun. "Sun, do me a solid and go find the island kahuna!"

Sun's mouth twitched a bit as he blinked in slight confusion. "But I don't even know who the island kahuna is or what he looks like."

"You can't miss him!" Professor Kukui laughed, to Sun's slight annoyance. "He looks just like a kahuna!"

 _Well that explains a lot,_ Sun thought sarcastically. However he simply smiled and nodded.

"Chu…" Cloud whined slightly as Sun walked past the professor to go up the stairs leading to the large house. Sun didn't realize how hard he was hugging his pikachu until the electric mouse started squirming. The boy quickly loosened his embrace to allow Cloud some breathing room. He rubbed Cloud's head in apology before continuing his pace. He soon reached the top of the stairs. Sun was just about to head over to the house when something curious caught his eye.

He looked over to the entrance of the forest to see a blonde girl in white clothes and hat. The person wasn't in Sun's attention. Rather, it was the wiggling bag at the girl's side. He saw her mouth moving while she looked at her bag, as if talking to it. After a moment's hesitation, she held the bag still and disappeared into the forest. If Sun knew anything about girls' bags, it was that they weren't living things. So what was in that girl's bag? Sun felt like he had to know.

"Pika?" Cloud asked as Sun veered away from the big house towards the forest. The trainer didn't answer. He soon reached the bottom of a rising, zig-zagging path. At some points there were logs to help any pedestrian keep their footing. While there were no obvious signs of human interaction, the way the path formed with slight ridges on either side seemed a bit too precise for Mother Nature to do alone. Occasional stones of Tiki heads stood guard along the road. The sights weren't what Sun was looking for though. He began to walk up the path, eyes and ears pricked for some sign of the girl. Cloud had settled down again upon seeing his trainer so focused.

Soon Sun heard somebody say a little harshly, "You can't come out! We'll get in trouble if someone sees you!" That only roused Sun's curiosity even further. He shared a questioning glance with Cloud. The pikachu then wiggled his way free to settle on Sun's shoulder. This way, Cloud would be in a better position to help out his trainer. Sun stealthily made his way up the path, making sure to keep quiet and ready to dive into some bushes. Fortunately there was no need as the girl didn't pay attention behind her at all. Once Sun reached the top, the path leveled itself to form one straight road. The quickening of footsteps prompted him to speed up his own pace. Two things he noticed upon exiting the path were the sudden drop in temperature and a roaring sound. They were near a waterfall, he realized. But that wasn't the main concern.

Sun spotted the girl sprinting towards a rope bridge. Only closer inspection, he realized that the bag was pulling forward, dragging the girl with it. She tried her best to stop it, but the object inside was simply too much for her. Sun blinked in surprise when a purple cotton ball with two twinkling, blue clouds as arms flew from the bag. It flew into the air before gliding towards the rope bridge. The girl took one step forward with an arm outstretched before realizing the weakness of the bridge. She cried out "Nebby!" as she stood by helplessly to watch the creature float to the middle of the bridge. Then Sun saw the creature stiffen. Before he could blink three spearows dove towards the strange creature, pecking it and preventing it from escaping. Sun heard the girl gasp yet she still didn't run out to protect her Pokémon. At least, that's what Sun thought the little creature was. He never saw something like it before, and it could well be a native to Alola.

Pokémon or not, he couldn't stand to see it being hurt like that. Especially by a Pokémon he was all too familiar with. Sun moved forward to help it. The crunching of his shoes must have alerted the girl because when he reached her, she turned around. Anxious, green eyes looked into calm, blue-gray ones. For a moment, nobody spoke. Then—.

"H-help…Please save Nebby!" the strange girl cried. Without waiting for his answer, she turned around to stare helplessly at her Pokémon. Sun also looked over. Unlike the girl, he looked to access the situation. The three spearows still circled around Nebby. After one particularly hard peck, the strange Pokémon cried out for help. That sealed the deal for Sun. Without a second thought, he dashed over and across the rope bridge. He paid no attention to how the bridge swayed nor did he flinch at some of the boards squeaking loose to fall into the river below. The back of his mind registered the girl's frightened gasp and Cloud's warning squeak each time that happened. He was too focused on helping out the little Pokémon though to worry about his own wellbeing.

Once he reached the victim, he shielded it with his body. Covering his head with his arm, Sun glared at the spearows flocking around. One of them caught his glare and actually flinched from the intensity of it. However it continued to peck at him when it saw that its comrades didn't let up. Sun had only the briefest moment to look at the strange Pokémon he was protecting, noting its coloring and shape, before one peck pushed him too far. He initially didn't want to use Cloud due to the possible chance of hurting the girl's Pokémon, but the spearows finally got on his nerves.

"Cloud, Thunderbolt!" Sun commanded.

"Pika!" Cloud replied. He jumped from Sun's back with electricity flowing through his cheeks. The pikachu then unleashed the blast onto the spearows. They reared back in shock, literally, from the violent counterattack. The super effective electricity coursing through their small bodies was too much for them to handle, and they quickly flapped away.

Unfortunately, the electricity got to the bridge as well. When Cloud landed back on Sun's back, Sun could hear the ropes holding the bridge snapping. He had almost no time to react at all. The old structure gave way for the three to plummet into the river. Sun's mind almost went blank with shock, his stomach lurching from the unexpected fall. However the girl's cry snapped his wits back. He could feel Cloud's tiny paws digging into his shirt in desperation. Somehow he managed to twist in the air to grab his pikachu and hug him close with the girl's Pokémon. Sun shut his eyes tightly to brace himself against the undoubtedly horrible impact. If he didn't make it, at least the Pokémon would be able to. That was the last thing he wanted himself to think about. The last thing he figured that he would feel was the crushing force of water breaking his back.

Then Sun felt something hold him, and the direction he was falling suddenly change. "Pi!" He heard Cloud chirp in surprise. He felt the wind blowing against his face rather than his back for a heart-splitting moment. Then nothing. Sun finally opened his eyes to see that he was sitting on the cliff with the girl again.

"Are you all right?!" she asked with concern and fear in her eyes. Sun blinked in surprise before ignoring her question. Instead he looked at the Pokémon in his arms. While Cloud still clutch onto his shirt tightly, the pikachu seemed all right. The girl's Pokémon also glued itself to Sun's shirt. However both of them weren't looking at him. They were looking over to the side, prompting Sun to look that way as well. What he saw astonished him.

A strange, black creature with white and yellow markings on its face floated a few feet away from them. It had a large, orange plume with bristles along the back. Looking at its arms, if put together, would form a yellow rooster head. There was something about the being that separated it from other Pokémon, something that only the instincts could sense. It seemed as though it was waiting for something, but what Sun wasn't sure. Perhaps gratitude from him? He had no doubt that that creature was the one who saved him from inevitable death. He slowly stood up with the two Pokémon still in his arms. He sensed the girl beside him also looking at the creature with wide eyes.

For a few seconds nobody moved.

"Cloud, Volt Tackle!"

"Pika!" Cloud jumped from Sun's arms, surprising both the girl and her Pokémon. Even the strange creature seemed to have jolted slightly in shock from the unexpected attack. Cloud ran towards the creature, sparks already flying around his cheeks. The electricity soon covered the pikachu as his speed increased exponentially. Cloud crashed into the creature with the powerful move, staggering both parties. Sun took that opportunity to fish out a ready ultra ball and threw it at the creature. He heard another gasp from the girl when both saw the capture device hit the opponent. In a flash of white, the creature disappeared into the ball. The release mechanism began to beep red as everybody held their breath in expectation. The two children and their Pokémon watched the wiggling ultra ball intently, both parties hoping for different results.

The ultra ball stopped wiggling. Then it opened and the creature was released in a flash of white. The left side of his smile started to twitch immensely when he saw his savior floating before him and Cloud again. It stared at him for a second. Then it screeched a horrible noise in his direction as electricity crackled around its body before zooming away at an unimaginable speed, leaving the two children to cover their faces from the flying dust. A strange, clunking noise sent Sun's mind wandering before he realized that the dust cloud and blown his used ultra ball off the cliff. That was fine; he had more where that came from. When the dust cloud cleared Sun looked at the sky where the creature could have possibly zoomed off. Cloud slowly trotted back to his trainer, looking a bit shaken not from the dust cloud. The pikachu stopped right at Sun's feet and also looked at the sky. Sun didn't realize how tightly he was holding the girl's Pokémon until a slight cry alerted him.

Sun looked down at the weird Pokémon before remembering that it belonged to the girl next to him. He loosened his hold and held it out to the stranger with a smile. "Here, your Pokémon." His smile didn't falter even as the girl looked at him with horror.

"Do you realize what you almost did?" she asked. Her Pokémon wiggled out of Sun's grip to float over to its trainer. It stopped in front of her and turned to look at the boy.

"Pew!" Nebby cried in a happy tone despite the slightly-frightened tone its trainer had. Sun surmised that it was probably thanking him. Towards the Pokemon, his smile widened. Then Sun turned his attention back to the stranger. In reply to the girl's question, he shook his head.

"Oh no. What did I almost do?"

"You almost caught this island's guardian Pokémon!" she exclaimed.

Sun tiled his head to the side. " _That_ was Tapu Koko? Hmm…" He closed his eyes in thought and crossed his arms. In all honesty, he had no idea. He saw a Pokémon, it didn't belong to anybody, he sought to catch it. Simple as that. He was able to judge correctly that it would take more than a mere pokeball to catch that Pokémon, especially when the air around it was different from other Pokémon he was used to. After juggling around the new information, Sun opened his eyes and smiled apologetically to her. "I'm sorry. I had no idea that was the guardian Pokémon."

The girl stared at him with a look he didn't quite like. To his relief though, she dropped it for a slightly guilty look. "You…you're new here, aren't you?" When Sun nodded, the girl sighed. "I see. I shouldn't have gotten mad at you then. You couldn't have known. I should be thanking you rather than scolding you. Oh, please forgive me…I'm so grateful to you for helping us out of that dangerous spot." The girl bowed her head in gratitude.

"It was nothing," Sun immediately responded with both hands held up. He shifted his feet. "If anything, you should thank Cloud. Right, buddy?" The boy's grin widened slightly as he looked to his Pokémon.

"Pikachu!" Cloud smiled, scratching his head sheepishly. The girl giggled at the pikachu's action.

"Well, thank you, Cloud. Nebby and I are so grateful for your help." She bent down to rub Cloud's head, earning cry of contentment from him. She didn't notice how Sun looked back over to where Tapu Koko once floated. Though the Pokémon was probably far away from them, he could still see the island guardian waiting for him, teasing him. He found himself wishing that his capture had been successful. He wouldn't know exactly what to do with Tapu Koko but that didn't change the bitter taste of defeat the failed attempt left in his mouth. His mind then cleared itself of that negativity when Nebby floated in his line of vision. He saw the strange Pokémon crouch down and bat the ground with one of its cloud puffs.

"Pew!" it cried as it floated over to Sun. The boy watched the little creature curiously. With a huge grin, Nebby handed a small, sparkling rock to Sun. He gently took the strange rock from the Pokemon to examine on closer quarters. The first thing he noticed was an unknown sense of warmth radiating from it. Perhaps it was from its core? He couldn't be too sure. What he could slightly recognize was a Z incased in a diamond with two triangles on either side. A larger triangle stuck out from one side of the rectangle containing the simple shapes. Considering that Nebby found the sparkling stone from where Tapu Koko once stood, Sun could only surmise that the legendary Pokémon left it. He wondered whether it was possible that Tapu Koko left it on purpose. It didn't seem likely. However it didn't really matter when Sun decided to keep it. He pocketed the stone, making a mental note to ask Professor Kukui about it. Even if it turned out that he "stole" it with help from his Nebby accomplice, he still had to know exactly what it was that he "stole". And what better person than to ask the knowledgeable professor himself? Or his dad. There was always that choice.

"Nebby. Come on. Back into the bag," Sun heard the girl call for the Pokémon. He looked up to see Cloud trot back over to him while the stranger held out the bag for Nebby. With a slight cry, the strange Pokémon floated over to the girl. Sun entertained himself with the thought that they were unofficially trading their Pokémon with how they switched places. Once it snuggled back inside the bag, the girl shook her head slightly. "Oh Nebby. Please don't do something like that again."

Sun picked up his pikachu to place on his shoulder, earning a cry of gratitude from his best friend. He saw that he had no reason to be here anymore since his initial and only reason was to find out exactly what was in the girl's bag. The boy turned to head back to the village, a hand raised in farewell while the other hand idly scratched Cloud's chin. "Well then, I'll see you around."

"W-wait!" The girl's frightened cry stopped Sun from taking another step. The boy's mouth twitched slightly as he glanced over his shoulder at her. She had her arm stretched out to implore him to stay. Sun turned on his heels to face her with his arms crossed. Now that she had his full attention, it seemed that the girl had cold feet. Her eyes widened before staring straight down to the ground. Sun waited as patiently as he could for the stranger to gather enough courage to speak again. "Please…please, don't tell anyone about this…about Nebby. It's…it's a secret, okay?" She looked back up with pleading eyes. It almost looked pathetic to Sun. However only the right side of his smile moved slightly.

"…Then you can't tell anyone about my trying to catch Tapu Koko. It's…it's a secret, okay?" Sun smiled as he placed a finger to his lips in a quiet gesture. The girl stared at him to see if he was serious about this, especially with how he seemed to mock the way she asked him. Seeing nothing but honest truth in those eyes eased her hesitation. She nodded vigorously.

"Of course. Also…"

"Hmm?"

"I know it's too much for me to ask, but…do you think you could see us back to town? I'm worried we might get attacked again by some wild Pokémon or…or something…"

Sun's smile twitched slightly on the left side. Despite his emotions barely changing on his face, underneath his mind was racing. He caught the little slip-up from the girl's voice. The boy wondered what could that "something" be that could possibly make her this terrified. However he didn't pursue it. At the current moment he knew he had something else to worry about. Finding that damn kahuna. Maybe once Sun escorted the girl safely back to Iki Town, she would be in a better mood to talk as it didn't seem like she'd give any useful information at the current moment, like her name. "I'll be happy to."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. So yeah. My Sun's pretty much based on the constantly smiling, staring into your soul, blank stare protagonist that's supposed to be you. He's going to have some interesting habits I myself have formed while playing Pokémon Moon, coughsleepinginotherpeople'sbedscough.
> 
> 2\. I actually caught a Pichu and named him Cloud (because I was half-asleep and didn't want generic electric-type Pokémon names) since I planned to have an Alolan Raichu on my final story team. Then I got too attached to Cloud as a Pikachu and he helped me beat the Elite Four. Sweet.
> 
> 3\. The fact that Sun has an ultra ball already is me making fun of the game for giving you ultras so early in the beginning. I mean...you get ten of them from a guy in the Pokémon Center of the first town for just catching a certain number of Pokémon. Don't remember the exact number, but it sure as hell wasn't a lot. Like, seriously? I remember getting ultra balls in the other games near the end or something. Certainly not when I'm still at the beginning catching yungoos and pikipek. What was I supposed to use those ultra balls on, the Totem Pokémon?
> 
> 4\. So could you guys figure out what emotions Sun was expressing? If not, I suggest you guys go back and try to see the signs. It would be helpful to know which gesture means what for future updates. That is...if you guys continue reading it, of course. And happy holidays!


	2. A Splashing Entrance

As the two kids silently walked down the slope, Sun's mind wandered back to the problem he had about finding the kahuna of Melemele Island. Returning to Iki Town without the person he was actually required to find made it seem like he failed the little task that Professor Kukui asked of him. Truthfully though, he didn't mind that he couldn't complete that request. He knew that eventually it would solve itself considering how Professor Kukui did say they were all planning to meet in town in the first place. Perhaps the kahuna had already returned and was simply waiting for Sun so that the boy could finally receive his first Alolan Pokémon. It was definitely possible. At least, Sun hoped that that was what happened.

Sun glanced over his left shoulder since his right one was occupied by Cloud. He could see that the girl was clutching her bag tightly with Nebby safely tucked away. Her mouth was sealed shut as she watched where she stepped on the dirt path. She seemed to have flinched slightly when she noticed Sun watching her. The boy's mouth twitched slightly in annoyance before he turned back to walk forward again. He had a feeling that the girl knew there was something weird with him. Not a lot of people could sense it, he knew. But somehow she managed to. Probably it was when he attempted to catch Tapu Koko. She did look at him weird then. Either way, she still didn't seem to be in the mood to talk. That was just fine with him.

The boy felt his pikachu shift on his shoulder. A small spark at his cheek alerted him that Cloud was trying to get his attention. He looked over to glance questioningly at the electric mouse Pokémon. "Pi…pika pika?" Cloud asked nervously. Sun sighed apologetically. He scratched underneath Cloud's chin, earning a hesitant chirp of appreciation.

"Don't worry, Cloud. I'm not mad at you," he whispered so the girl wouldn't hear.

"Chu, pi? Pikachu?"

"Oh, I'm still upset that I couldn't catch Tapu Koko, but there's nothing we could do about it now, could we? So let's just see where the chips fall as they may," Sun replied. He faced forward again to ensure that he wouldn't trip and break his neck. It was quite dark with only the stars and moon out to light their way through the trees' foliage, and even then it was still difficult to see. Thankfully the return trip took less time than the first walk. Sun attributed to them already knowing their destination and seeing the sights beforehand. Soon enough they broke free from the entrance of the forest. The darkness that shadowed their sight cleared away to reveal the town of Iki lit by multiple torches. From his position, Sun saw his taskmaster speaking with an old, white-moustache man wearing his white hair in a top-knot like ponytail. The newcomer wore a yellow robe with white patterns over a blue shirt and white pants and had a fan tucked in a white knotted belt. Even from this distance, Sun immediately knew that the old man was the kahuna. The professor was surprisingly right. He would know who the kahuna was just because he looked like one. Sun wondered whether that would be true for all the island kahunas.

"Oh, Professor! Professor!" the girl behind Sun suddenly cried out, surprising the boy. She rushed past him, making sure that she didn't push him aside. Hearing the abrupt call, both the professor and assuming kahuna looked up. Professor Kukui smiled and waved once he recognized who was calling him.

"Hey there, Lillie, Sun!" Kukui shouted back. "Come on over! I've got somebody special here, yeah!" The right side of Sun's smile twitched slightly as he also made his way over there. He noticed that there were a couple more people around seeing how the kahuna was now present. Walking around the raised platform in the middle, he finally reached the small group consisting of the professor, the kahuna, and the girl. _Lillie_. He mentally stored that away for future usage. Hopefully she also took notice of his own name when Kukui called back. Otherwise he'd have to reintroduce himself to her. That wouldn't exactly be a bad thing since they needed proper introductions anyways. The professor then gestured to the older man beside him. "Sun, this is the kahuna of our island, Hala. Hala, this here is Nova's boy, Sun."

"Pleased to meet you, sir," Sun said as he extended his hand. When Hala took his hand, Sun's eyebrow went up slightly in surprise at the unexpected strength of the old man. He quickly recomposed himself to smile brightly at the kahuna.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, my boy. And just call me Hala. No need for those polite sirs. I'm sorry for not being here earlier. As kahuna of Melemele Island, I have to resolve any problems here." Sun quickly waved away the apology, making Hala's smile widen. The kahuna then spread his arms out in a grandiose gesture. "Welcome to Alola! How are you liking it so far?"

"It's really beautiful. I think I'm going to enjoy my time here very much." Sun's smile twitched slightly on its left. From the corner of his eye, he could see Lillie staring at the kahuna as if she wanted to say something. After some hesitation, she finally managed to gather the courage to say:

"Oh, um…Kahuna Hala?"

"Yes, Lillie. What is it?"

"Nebby was being attacked by Spearow on Plank Bridge when…Sun helped it get away." Sun could tell from the pause that Lillie tried to recall his name from the professor's greeting. She continued, "But the bridge collapsed, and I thought both of them might fall to the bottom of the ravine. And that was when the island's guardian swooped in to save them!" It looked like Lillie wanted to say something else, but she sealed her lips tightly into a smile.

Almost immediately the whole crowd was swarmed with shocked murmurs. Both men's face mirrored the same surprise that everybody else had. Professor Kukui placed both hands on his hips as he leaned forward slightly. He shook his head, the smile and shock clear in his voice, "Woo! That's something you don't hear every day!"

"Ho! So that was why I saw Tapu Koko flying!" Hala agreed. "Although it is said to protect us, our Tapu Koko is a rather fickle creature. Yet our guardian was moved to save you." Upon hearing that, Sun's smile faded slightly. He wondered what about him could merit saving from the legendary Pokémon. As far as he knew, Tapu Koko would have been in a better position if it didn't save him from the danger he put himself in. The island guardian wouldn't have somebody crazy hunting him down. At least Sun appreciated how Lillie seemed to have remembered her promise about not telling the others about his capture failure. The boy mentally shook his thoughts away to refocus on what old Hala was saying. "Kukui, my boy, I think we have cause to celebrate! Even though he already has his own Pokémon, I think I should still entrust this brave and kind young boy with a Pokémon as a gift of thanks. We'll make a fine trainer out of him."

The kahuna then turned to the raised platform. Sun could feel a sense of anticipation from the surrounding crowd. Cloud quivered on his shoulder as the excitement was also getting to the pikachu. He knew that they were going to get a new teammate soon. Although he was excited like everybody else, Cloud was also very nervous. He felt a comforting finger curl underneath his chin. He squeaked in delight at the reassurance from his trainer. Though his nervousness was justified, Cloud rubbed his cheek against Sun's with a light jolt to let his trainer know that he wasn't as anxious as before.

"Come, my Pokémon! Let's have a look at you!" Hala threw three pokeballs in the air. Sun watched each of them intently, wondering to himself exactly what kind of Pokémon the kahuna had in store for him.

From the first pokeball, a flash of white revealed a round owl. It flapped its little, brown wings quickly to land safely on the platform. It stared at Sun almost as soullessly as the stare the boy was giving it. It had a small green bowtie that Sun recognized as leaves. While it was mostly brown, some under feathers were white like its face.

The second pokeball released a black catlike Pokémon. Sun's mouth immediately twitched slightly at the sight of a creature similar in appearance to his mother's meowth. On each of its legs it had two red stripes while its head had a vertical one with two horizontal stripes through it. It also had a large tuft of red fur on either side of its cheeks and a tuft at the end of its tail. It glared at Sun lazily with its yellow eyes. The boy heard it hissing slightly at him, and he guessed correctly that it returned the same animosity.

For the last pokeball, a blue Pokémon landed on its two tail fins with its two flippers in posed in the air before it rested on the platform. The sea lion smiled at Sun with a happy grin and large eyes. A long white snout, black whiskers, and round pink nose completed the Pokémon's face. It also had a light blue ruff like a clown's extending past its shoulders.

"Pika…" Cloud muttered as he also examined the new Pokémon with his trainer. He already knew that one of those starters was out of the question, so he wondered which of the remaining two Sun would choose. Though it seemed like the owl looked to be an optimal choice, the sea lion was also cute in its own right. Cloud wasn't sure about Sun's choice. His trainer could be quite unpredictable at times.

Hala began introducing the boy to the starters. "First is the grass-type Pokémon, Rowlet!" At its name, the rowlet spun in a circle with a light "koo!" Sun saw that its tail also represented a leaf, making the right side of his smile move a bit. "Next is the fire-type Pokémon, Litten!" The litten begrudgingly meowed at Sun. The boy's smile twitched slightly, and the litten took a small step back, its nonchalant expression flickering a bit. Nobody seemed to notice the fire cat Pokémon's unease as they focused on the last introduction. "And last is the water-type Pokémon, Popplio!" Said Pokémon responded with a "bwark?" and clapped excitedly with its tail fins. It smiled again at Sun. The boy couldn't help but widen his smile a bit in return. Then he heard Hala ask, "Which Pokémon will you choose?"

At the question, it seemed as if everybody agreed to hold their breath in expectancy. The simple yet meaningful question plagued all their minds. They watched the new boy cross his arms, close his eyes, and tilt his head in thought. Lillie gripped her bag tightly while Kukui and Hala watched calmly, only their eyes speaking volumes of the enjoyment they were experiencing. Sun's mouth moved in a small whisper, and Cloud responded with his own quiet squeak. Then Sun opened his eyes, his smile widening. He walked forward. And pointed to the popplio.

The popplio blinked with its eyes wide in surprise, its gaze never wavering from the trainer since it first appeared. Then it giggled excitedly when it realized that this nice, smiling boy picked it. "Bwark! Bwark!" it cried joyfully. Everybody cheered along with it. Sun held out both hands towards the water starter. At the prompt the popplio leapt happily from the platform into Sun's arms. The boy immediately petted its head, earning barks of contentment. Cloud waved a paw in greeting at the newest member in their team. The popplio responded to the welcome with a happy bark of its own. Sun's smile widened at the immediate friendship Cloud struck. He heard Hala laughing behind him. The laugh sounded like something for an inside joke, making him turn around in question.

"Ho! We usually see if the starter Pokémon also chooses the trainer since it's only then that you can truly call each other partners, but I think we don't need to do that with how attached Popplio is to you now!" the old man boomed. He returned the other two starters and handed Sun the popplio's pokeball. A few people went to congratulate Sun, causing his smile to twitch slightly, before both Kukui and Lillie were able to come up to him.

"I'm sure you two would make a great team together!" Lillie smiled.

"That's right! I can't wait to see the different moves you guys can perform together, yeah!" Professor Kukui laughed. "So are you going to give a nickname to him?" The older man gestured to the now-clapping popplio still in Sun's arms. Sun nodded in answer. He gently lifted the popplio away to make him face the boy. He smiled brightly.

"Hello there, Blue Doll! Welcome to our team!"

"Pikachu!" Cloud also smiled.

"Bwark!" Blue Doll cheered.

"Nice to meet you, Blue Doll," Lillie smiled. Professor Kukui also added his greeting as he waved to the popplio. Blue Doll turned to both of them and clapped in their direction. "I think you chose a wonderful Pokémon. Please take good care of it," Lillie continued.

The right side of Sun's smile twitched slightly. "Oh, you can be sure that Blue Doll is in good hands. Right, Cloud?" The pikachu nodded confirmation.

Professor Kukui then stepped forward with something red in his hands. When Sun looked at it curiously the professor held it out to him. The boy took it gingerly, as if he might break it if he wasn't too careful. "Here. I'm sure you'll find this gift useful on your journey, Sun." Initially rectangular in shape, its top gave way to a more oval shape while its bottom had two half circles as if to serve as feet. The screen was also supposed to be rectangular but also at the top shaped into two ovals that could only be described as eyelike. Sun realized that the professor had just given him a pokedex, a slightly weird shaped one at that. He had seen pokedexes before, but this one looked nothing like the old ones. Did technology evolve this far to be this stupid-looking? Sun wasn't sure. At least the blocky thing was barely small enough to put into his pocket still.

"Thank you," he said politely.

"That pokedex would be able to scan all kinds of Pokémon in Alola, yeah. Blue Doll is already even registered! And this is a Trainer Passport that I had put together for you." The professor also gave him a small booklet. "You'll need it for the Island Challenge." Sun nodded. He placed Blue Doll on the ground before taking the passport. Cloud immediately jumped off his shoulder to converse with the popplio. Sun's smile twitched slightly on its right side when he understood what his first Pokémon was telling his starter as he stored the trainer passport deep with his wallet and his first passport. Sun shouldered his backpack back on. Then he picked up Blue Doll again. He noticed how Cloud sighed in resignation while the pikachu climbed to his usual spot of Sun's shoulder. Blue Doll had apparently listened to Cloud's warnings with a blank face. He didn't really understand what the pikachu was trying to say about their trainer. Something about don't get him mad or something. But Blue Doll was sure everything would be okay with the obviously nice Sun.

"I'm going to go on ahead home to show Mom my new Pokémon," Sun said to Kukui in a slightly raised voice to let people know that he was leaving. The professor nodded in agreement.

"I'm sure your mom would be ecstatic when she sees Blue Doll."

"Oh she would be," Sun agreed before he started walking down the hill. The people parted the way to let the boy with a popplio in his arms and a pikachu on his shoulders through while still congratulating him on both the Tapu Koko save and popplio receiving. For a brief moment Sun thought he might suffocate with all the people crowded around him. Soon though he stepped clear of the swarms to head back home. He inhaled sharply, for once not taking in the odor of human bodies surrounding him. He couldn't wait to get home and introduce his mother to Blue Doll. His smile widened slightly as he thought about his newest Pokemon. Overwhelmed with affection for the little guy, Sun scratched Blue Doll's chin. He was only slightly distracted so he heard the sprinting sound coming for him. He looked up to see who was fast approaching him. A boy about his age stopped a few feet away from Sun.

The newcomer's mouth widened brightly, his grin almost a mirror image of Sun's own smile. He wore his hair in a similar fashion as Hala while he had on a black T-shirt with orange shorts. Sun could see the straps of an orange backpack behind the boy. "Hey! You and me! Let's have a Pokémon battle!" the stranger shouted eagerly. Sun's smile twitched slightly at the boy's behavior. Cloud felt his trainer already loosening his shoulders slightly, a sign that the boy was about ready to retire for the day. The pikachu could tell that Sun was annoyed by this unforeseen battle. If only he could refuse the battle request…

"Dahahaha! Where's the fire, boy?" Sun heard the kahuna ask behind him. When he glanced over his shoulder, he saw said man walking with Professor Kukui and Lillie. "And what kind of a Pokémon battle would that be where you don't even give a name first, eh?" The boy's smile turned slightly sheepish at the slight scolding.

"Fair enough," he conceded. He turned back towards Sun, linking his hands behind his head. "Then I'm Hau. And my partners are Pichu and Litten!" Upon hearing that one familiar name, Sun's smile twitched slightly again. Cloud's ears flicked forward when he heard the name of his pre evolution. "Your pikachu and popplio look really cool, too!"

"Oh. Thanks." Sun tightened his hug around the little Pokémon. "My name's Sun. I'm sure you'll be able to get a pikachu soon. But it won't be anything like mine." Only Cloud heard the last quiet statement, and although he appreciated the praise, he hoped that Sun wouldn't make a nasty habit of subtly putting everybody down like that. At least nobody would really notice, hopefully.

"Yeah! So let's battle! After I heard that a new person moved in, I've been looking all over for you! I couldn't wait for the chance to meet you! So let's battle!" Hau repeated.

"Um…" Hearing the soft hesitation, Sun turned around to look at Lillie. Her hands were wringing the strap of Nebby's bag. If she held it any more tightly, then she would have to get a new strap to replace her torn one. "I don't really like to see Pokémon battles where Pokémon can get hurt…but I'll watch for you."

"You know you don't have to," Sun said, the smile still on his face. "We're not forcing you to." Lillie shook her head even before Sun finished his sentence.

"I'll be fine. I really want to see how you bond with your Pokémon."

"Oh yeah, your first battle in Alola already! Let's see what kind of moves you got, Sun! Woo!" Kukui cheered. The right side of Sun's smile moved a bit in amusement. _Except this would actually be my second battle if you count my attempt to capture Tapu Koko to be my first…_ he thought to himself. He noticed how the townspeople were starting to gather around them again in anticipation for a Pokémon battle. It looked like Sun didn't have a choice in the matter anymore. It was as if Hau had tricked him into having this battle by having so many witnesses to his challenge. It irritated Sun slightly but not enough to upset him. Sun jumped slightly when he felt a warm hand clasp his shoulder. He looked up to see old Hala grinning at him.

"I appreciate you being willing to take on my grandson here. I expect a good, one on one, no-holds-barred battle from the both of you!"

Sun nodded in understanding before facing Hau again. The boy took multiple steps back in order to make ample room for the fighting Pokémon. Once he judged the distance to be about enough, he waved to his opponent.

"You ready, Sun?"

"Oh, I'm ready," Sun said, the right side of his smile twitching slightly.

"All right! This is gonna be great!" Hau grabbed a pokeball from his belt and threw it into the air. "Litten, I choose you!" In a flash of white, the fire cat Pokémon appeared, landing on all fours gracefully. It meowed once before it licked its paw clean. Sun couldn't help his smile from twitching at the sight of the litten. However he kept his composure as he set Blue Doll down.

"Bwark?" the popplio asked curiously. He turned around to face his trainer with a grin, only to have Sun lift him gently and make him face the litten.

"That way, Blue Doll. We're going to have a battle." At the word, Blue Doll's confusion cleared to be replaced with determination. He didn't realize that he would have a chance to prove that Sun didn't make a mistake picking him so soon. He nodded before moving himself forward slightly to be in a better position for the battle. The popplio smiled and clapped his hind fins when he heard his other new friend, Cloud, cheering for him from behind. Sun secretly took out his pokedex to scan Hau's Litten:

_Litten, the fire cat Pokemon. It prefers solitude and doesn't allow its emotions to be easily seen. While grooming itself, it builds up fur inside its stomach to set alight for fiery attacks._

Sun nodded slightly to himself when he heard the information. Looking through the entries so far, he saw that he also had Blue Doll and the rowlet from before registered. After taking a quick look at the popplio entry, he made a mental note to read them in full detail at home before going to sleep. He tucked the pokedex away and looked up to signal that he was more than ready now.

Hala looked to see whether both sides were ready. Once he saw that they indeed were, he raised one hand in the air. "You may begin!"

"Litten, use Ember!" Hau immediately commanded. His Pokémon responded swiftly to the words. The hairs on its back stood straight up, revealing red tips, as it spat a flaming ball of fur at Blue Doll.

"Water Gun," Sun countered. Blue Doll inhaled deeply. Once the ember attack got close, he opened his mouth to spray a shot of water to extinguish the small flame. The popplio didn't stop there and Water Gun ended up hitting Litten straight on. The catlike Pokémon cried out in pain at the super effective move. Sun pointed at Litten, not giving Hau a chance to react. "Now use Pound."

"Bwark!" Blue Doll leapt forward. He struck out a flipper in order to swat Litten away. The normal-type move hit Litten square in the face, causing the fire-type Pokémon to leap backwards while rubbing its pained face. Sun's smile widened slightly at the red flipper print Litten now had.

"Try a Scratch, Litten!"

Cloud squeaked at the thought of the painful attack. Even Sun cringed slightly when he saw the fire cat Pokémon rake Blue Doll's face with its three claws. He wasn't going to let that cat get away with hurting his Pokémon like that. He thought back to the move set Blue Doll knew currently. "Growl!" The popplio responded to the order by opening his mouth to let out a high, piercing cry that distorted the air around them. The litten growled lowly in irritation as it batted its ears to futilely stop itself from listening.

"Use your own Growl, Litten!"

"One more time, Blue Doll!"

Both Alolan starters took a deep breath before releasing similar growls that lowered the other's physical attack power. However Sun knew he benefitted from this more than Hau since his Blue Doll specialized in special attacks more than physical. Scratch was also the only attack doing work on Hau's side considering how water-types resisted fire-type moves. He felt that he had dragged this battle long enough. He wanted to get home quickly to show off the popplio before returning to a dreamless sleep.

"Time to end this." Cloud shivered when he heard that quiet voice spoke. Sun pointed to the tired yet determined litten and raised his voice so everybody could hear, "Blue Doll, Water Gun."

"Bwark!" Blue Doll cried as he opened his mouth to shoot the super effective move at his opponent.

"Dodge it!" Sun could hear the panic in Hau's voice. However he knew that it was over. Litten was too exhausted to react and the attack hit it right in the face again. It hissed slightly before falling on its side, swirls in its eyes. The right side of Sun's smile twitched slightly when he saw the boy smile good-naturedly. Hau held out a pokeball, firing the red laser to return the fainted litten. "You did great, Litten," the boy said to the pokeball.

Hala held up his right hand to indicate the winner. "This match goes to Sun and his popplio!" At the official result, the townspeople cheered much louder than when Sun received Blue Doll. The cheering got to Blue Doll as he leaned forward to clap his hind fins joyfully. The sight of his victorious popplio made Sun's smile widen slightly as he walked over to pick up Blue Doll.

"Great job, Blue Doll," Sun cooed to the Pokémon. Said Pokémon giggled happily at the praise. He barked his thanks towards Cloud when the pikachu gave his congratulations as well.

"Hoo-ee! That gave me chicken skin! Your popplio was awesome!" Hau laughed as he jumped up and down in giddiness. Sun looked over to Hau with a small smile.

"Thanks. Your…litten, did pretty good too." Sun patted his popplio one last time before grabbing a potion from his backpack. The boy gently sprayed the wounds on Blue Doll, stopping and soothing the Pokémon whenever he cried out from the stings. Once he was done with healing Blue Doll, he grabbed another potion to hand to Hau. Sun smiled back at Hau when the boy grinned in gratitude. Sun then said, "Thanks for the battle and everything, but I want to head on home to rest."

"Well that settles it! I'll be sure to go all out tomorrow! You are coming to the festival, right?"

Hearing that word made Sun tilt his head to the side in curiosity. "Festival?"

"It's to give thanks to Tapu Koko for remaining by our side. There's going to be a great battle and everything! You are coming, right?"

The left side of Sun's mouth twitched slightly as he thought about it. Perhaps he should participate in this festival before exploring the other islands. While Blue Doll did well in this battle, he was nowhere near Cloud's level. The potential battle would give the popplio some much needed experience. Besides, participating in the festival would also allow them to relax just a little bit more. Sun would see the other traditions Melemele Island had and gather other information, which would be useful when exploring this particular island. With that in mind, he nodded in confirmation.

Hau grinned back. "Great! I'll battle you again tomorrow! And we'll win then!"

"Don't be too sure of that," Sun muttered to himself before waving good-bye to them. "I'll see you all tomorrow then!" He attempted to head down the hill again. Unfortunately for him, Hala saw something that merit questioning.

"Hmm? Sun…" When Sun turned to look at the kahuna in question, Hala pointed to his pocket. Sun followed the direction of his finger and saw that he was pointing at the sparkling stone in Sun's pocket. To be honest, he almost forgot about it. Now that it caught Hala's attention, Sun wondered whether the shining stone was worth picking up since it was keeping him from going home. The poor boy just wanted to go home. "Would you be so kind as to give me a look at that sparkling stone you have there?"

"Of course," Sun replied. He took the stone from his pocket and placed it carefully in Hala's open hand. Blue Doll also looked at it curiously as he tried to sniff the stone's identity. The kahuna examined it closely, his eyes almost blazing a hole in the strange object.

"Could it be?!"

Hau turned to his grandpa with the same look of surprise. "Tutu, isn't that…?" Hala nodded at the incomplete question. He looked up straight into Sun's eyes.

"You were rescued by Tapu Koko at the bridge—isn't that what I heard, Sun?"

Sun nodded.

"So it even deigned to give you a stone…"

_Actually…I think I stole it, but okay. Sure, Tapu Koko gave me that._

"Perhaps you are here in Alola, Sun, because this where you are meant to be. Allow me to borrow this stone for now. Fret not!" Hala laughed a bit when he saw the uncertain look in Sun's eyes. "I'll return it to you tomorrow evening at the festival. It would seem that you have the makings of a fine trainer. I'll see you then!"

Still Sun hesitated a bit. Although he knew he could trust Hala, he still wished that he could take the stone home since it was "his" to begin with. However that didn't seem to be an option. At least he was going to get it back tomorrow. Despite the urge to simply take the stone back, Sun nodded in agreement. Retaining his smile he waved good-bye to them once again. He actually paused for a bit to see if anybody _else_ wanted to stop him. Seeing that no such volunteer did, he started down the road. That was when he heard somebody say:

"Here, Sun. I'll take you back home."

The boy's smile twitched slightly in annoyance at the third interruption. Luckily he got his expression under control when Professor Kukui walked to his side. At least the professor didn't stop him completely for something long like the battle and stone. Sun nodded his gratitude before the two started down the trail together. Taking the same path as before, the pair walked while conversing with each other. The professor praised Sun on his battling once again, to which Sun simply waved away. However Kukui knew that the boy appreciated the input. He noticed how Sun hadn't put his popplio back into his pokeball since he received it. Even now the boy still hugged Blue Doll in the same manner as pikachu on their first trip to Iki Town. Cloud stayed at his spot on Sun's shoulder, looking satisfied as could be.

The trip back didn't take long, thank goodness. Once they reached Sun's house, Sun exchanged farewells with the professor before entering his home sweet home. His smile moved a bit when he saw his mom's meowth standing in front of the door. Meowth screeched at Sun's appearance and scurried to hide behind Nova. She looked up from the counter and smiled when she took notice of her son. She quickly patted the meowth's head to calm him down. She walked around the counter over to Sun, the expectancy in her eyes shining.

"Welcome back, Sun! So! What kind of Pokémon did you get? Don't keep me waiting!"

Sun's smile widened as he held out Blue Doll. "Ta-da! This is my popplio! Say hello, Blue Doll!"

"Arf!" Blue Doll grinned widely. He held his flippers into the air in a happy poise. Nova giggled at the enthusiasm the starter showed. She tickled his chin to make him laugh. She could tell that Blue Doll was oblivious to his trainer's other side. However she predicted that the sea lion Pokémon would probably never see that darker half due to his naïve nature. Sun probably wouldn't want to show the young Pokémon that side either. That was obviously a good thing in her mind. The less people and Pokémon who knew about it, the better.

"So I'm guessing you picked the water starter. What were the others?"

"A grass-type owl and," Sun made a face before he continued, "a fire-type cat." At that dreaded word, his mother couldn't help but laugh. She knew of Sun's unexplainable disdain for cats. It was unfortunate that he lived with her meowth for most of his life but there was nothing he could do about it. She put her hands on her hips and teased:

"You should have picked the cat! We could use another one!"

Sun's smile twitched wildly on its left side. "Never," he hissed as he tightened his hug on Blue Doll. He felt Cloud shift nervously on his shoulder with a frightened squeak. The pikachu wished that Nova didn't make that joke. It put his trainer in a terrible mood, and things never bode well whenever Sun was in that state of mind. Blue Doll glanced over his shoulder to stare curiously at his trainer. When Sun saw the movement, his smile stopped twitching. He loosened his hold to not squeeze the popplio too hard. To calm himself down, he patted Blue Doll, earning a joyful bark. His emotions under control once again, Sun started for his room. "It's been a long day. I'm going to sleep."

"All right, Sun," Nova smirked. "Good night."

"Good night," Sun replied as he opened the door to his room. Though it looked like Sun regained his composure after petting Blue Doll, Nova cringed at the loud slam of the closing door. It was clear that any mentioning of catlike Pokémon bothered Sun to no end. It was amazing that he was able to live with her meowth for so long. After all, Meowth had been with Nova even longer than Sun. Even Cloud eventually learned to tolerate Meowth, and the meowth reciprocated. She shook her head ruefully at her son's behavior before heading into her own room.

Sun placed Blue Doll on the floor, prompting Cloud to jump from his shoulder. The pikachu avoided looking at his trainer because he knew from the door slam that Sun was still pissed at his mother's joke. Instead Cloud started to show Blue Doll around like a tour guide. The sight of his two Pokémon getting along appeased Sun even more to make his smile widen a bit. He walked over to his bed to lay down. Remembering one of his mental notes, he took out his pokedex. He quickly clicked into the popplio entry and read it:

_Popplio, the sea lion Pokémon. It practices diligently so it can learn to make and control big, water bubbles. It snorts body fluids from its nose to make these balloons, which could be used for both attacking, defending, and acrobatics._

Sun liked the sound of that. Blue Doll would need that characteristic to work hard in battle and reach Cloud's level. Speaking of Cloud, the trainer waved the pikachu over. Cloud had just finished showing Blue Doll the empty insides of Sun's closet when he noticed Sun gesturing for him. He swiftly scurried over, prompting Blue Doll to also pull himself over to the bed as fast as he could. Cloud leapt onto the bed and tilted his head to the side in question. "Pika?"

"Here's Blue Doll's pokedex entry," Sun said as he pointed to the screen. "And here's yours."

_Pikachu, the mouse Pokemon. It's in its nature to store electricity, a quality that makes it a good Pokemon to work at an electric power plant. It feels stressed now and then if it is unable to discharge the stored electricity._

"Pikachu." Cloud nodded in agreement with what Sun read out loud. This earned him a tickle underneath his chin that made him laugh. At that point Blue Doll had finally reached the bed but couldn't get up. He barked to get his new friends' attention. Sun grunted from the exertion of sitting up. He gently picked up the popplio to place on his bed next to Cloud. Then he let himself fall back onto the pillow. Blue Doll waddled over to look at Cloud's pokedex entry curiously. Sun scrolled back to Blue Doll's entry. His smile widened a bit when he heard an excited "arf!" from the popplio. He was probably reacting more to the picture of his species than the pokedex entry. Then Sun scrolled up again to look at the last description:

_Rowlet, the grass quill Pokémon. It is able to surprise its targets with its silent flight and vicious kicks. This wary Pokémon uses photosynthesis to rest during the day before becoming more active at night._

Just as Sun wondered whether he would be able to see a rowlet in battle, his eyes closed into a yawn. Cloud and Blue Doll caught the contagious yawn as well, signaling to all of them that it was probably best for them to rest. Sun sat up again to put his pokedex and pokeballs onto the table.

"Pika, kachu," Cloud said to Blue Doll. He crawled over to the pillow to pat it, signaling Blue Doll to sleep there. However Sun grabbed both of them before they could react. He yawned once again as he lay back onto the pillow. Cloud and Blue Doll moved slightly to get into a more comfortable position in Sun's arms. Then, after the long and exhausting day, they all fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. So Sun ends up choosing Popplio! Hooray! Who did not see that coming? I mean...you really only had two choices since I hope I made it quite clear from the first chapter that Sun hates cats...but yeah, near the end I actually debated whether I should let him have Popplio or Rowlet, but I decided on Popplio because he fits the innocent role more than Rowlet. And yes, I also named my Popplio Blue Doll. It is a character reference to one of my other stories, although that form of address has yet to be made to that character of mine.
> 
> 2\. Though I do appreciate the Alolan pokedex's utilities, I can't really get over how it looks. It looks kind of stupid and kind of big to be put conveniently in your pocket. Kind of like today's cell phones...I thought "cell" meant "small", not "large-ass screens and too big to put in your pocket". My pockets can hold my cell phone just fine. But for others...yeah, I can see why you ladies have big purses now.
> 
> 3\. The pokedex entries throughout this story would be a mix between Sun and Moon's pokedex entries.
> 
> 4\. Sun's Pikachu is definitely on a different level than his Popplio. I know that sounds OP and Gary Sue-ish, but there is a legitimate reason for that. At least...I hope it's a legitimate reason. Kind of like Cloud in Smash Bros, haha! But anyways, it is because Sun's Pikachu is so much stronger that he rarely uses him, only for extreme cases. So yeah. I suppose that would explain why Cloud was able to hurt Tapu Koko to a certain extent.
> 
> 5\. Hope you guys have a great New Year's! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! NEW YEAR'S!!!


	3. Celebrated Blunder

Sun placed the last of his possessions in its rightful place. He gave a soft grunt of satisfaction as he stood up from his kneeling position to stretch out his back. His smile widened when he saw Cloud and Blue Doll happily clapping for an effort well done. He knew that most of his cleaning he could have done by himself, though it was still nice to have his two little Pokémon help him with the little things. However he found it funny that he decided now to put away his belongings considering that he would be leaving on his adventure soon. Oh well. Sun rathered he finishing moving his things than his mother. Besides finding things Sun would like to keep a secret, Nova might put his possessions in the wrong places. The boy took one last look to make sure everything was in order before gesturing to his Pokémon.

"Come on, guys. It's almost time for the festival," Sun said. Cloud nodded in understanding before leaping off Sun's table to land expertly on his shoulder. Blue Doll leaned forward on the desk to clap his tailfins excitedly. The boy gently took the popplio and made his way out the door. At the sound of the swinging door, Nova looked up from where she was feeding Meowth. She smiled at him.

"Ready to go to the festival?" she asked cheerfully. Sun simply nodded in response. Even though Nova made it clear that she would be bringing Meowth along, the boy refused to let the presence of the scratch cat Pokémon rain on his parade. After all, from what he heard, the festival was supposed to be a joyous occasion with battles to participate in and people to converse with. There was also supposed to be one grand battle between two trainers to be offered as tribute to Tapu Koko. Despite himself, he had a small desire to be one of the grand battlers. It would be great experience for Blue Doll. "That's great! We should get going now! I think Professor Kukui would be here any-."

"Alola, Nova! And alola, Sun!"

Nova smiled as she turned to the door, where said professor stood with a huge grin on his face. "Speak of the Giratina. Sure, why don't you always barge in like you always do, Kukui?" The man laughed at that.

"Sorry, I just got so excited about the festival. At least I knocked on the door before I Knock Off the door."

The right side of Sun's smile twitched slightly while Nova giggled slightly at Professor Kukui's joking usage of the dark-type Pokémon move. Despite both adults' extreme words, Sun noticed that the professor actually came in without much fuss or damage. Said man then turned to the boy, taking note of his two Pokémon hanging with him. If it was even possible, Kukui's wide smile broadened even further at that friendly sight. He put both hands on his hips, a gesture Sun noticed that was common among the natives. Even his mom started getting into the habit of it. "Hope you two are ready to have a lot of fun at the festival!" Kukui boomed.

"Oh, most definitely. Right, Sun?" Nova asked. Her son simply nodded in reply, allowing his smile to widen a bit. His Pokémon showed more enthusiasm than him with a happy "Pika!" and sweet "Bwark!" Even her meowth cheered in anticipation of the fun to come. Kukui joined in with Nova's laughter.

"Great! Then let's get going with our Agility!" Similarly to the first time he barged in, the professor rushed out the door. Nova giggled a bit before exiting her house with her meowth and son following close behind. They found Kukui waiting at the same crossroad he led Sun the first time he took him to Iki Town. They also noticed how other people were heading the same way, presumably towards the festival as well. Nova and Sun exchanged friendly greetings with the neighbors before heading over to the professor. Once they caught up to him, Kukui pointed in the opposite direction. "That route over there is a detour to Iki Town filled with wild Pokémon. You should check it out sometime."

Sun looked over there with some interest before nodding his comprehension. He made a mental note to explore that area at the optimal time. Now he was more concerned about what the festival had in store for him. He walked a little behind his mother and the professor, who were engaged in a deep conversation. He could see that Meowth padded slightly in front of Nova's left to keep well out of reach of Sun. The boy's smile twitched slightly on its right when he saw that. Sun listened in to the adults' conversation but didn't pay it too much attention. Instead he thought about the possible trainers he would meet when he went to the festival. Hau was most likely going to be there. What about Lillie? Would she be here too? She probably would be, considering how it seemed as if everybody on the island was going to Iki Town. Did Professor Kukui escort her to town first or did Hau take up that job? He also wondered about other activities it would have, hoping that there would be something there beneficial for his Pokémon.

A couple of other people walked alongside them within their own little groups. Once one person started to interact with another from a different group, it seemed as if everybody was traveling together. Sun didn't really want to interact with other people yet but traveling with the Pokémon professor of this region didn't help his case at all. Still he put on a good smile as he answered a few questions his neighbors asked him, never answering more than he had to. His mother was more social than him, and soon these strangers became her friends. The interactions sped time up and before long the celebratory sounds reached them despite them still having some distance to go, adding to their anticipation of what's to come. The large assembly soon arrived to their destination.

Iki Town looked extremely different from the first time Sun went there. For one, there were much more people with Pokémon chatting and having a great time, almost overcrowding the small place. Some saw the opportunity for a great business with the multiple stalls they set up. Even the raised platform, with a large lit bonfire behind it, was occupied by a fire breather, three hula dancers, and their Pokémon with people gathering around to watch the traditional entertainment. Though the sun still graced the skies with a beautiful indescribable orange, the torches running all throughout the town already lit up with swaying flames. Strung light bulbs hung overhead by the rooftops to add more light if necessary. The happy clatter and delicious aromas mixed together to create an extremely happy and relaxed atmosphere. Sun had never experienced anything like this back at home. While they did have similar festivals in Johto, there was something different about this setting. He thought for a moment, wondering exactly what that something was. He guessed that it was simply because of the community celebrating the festival. Everybody was so friendly with each other in their interactions. The air certainly reflected the warmness of Alola, both figuratively and literally. Through the combined chattering of people and Pokémon, Sun could still hear Cloud's enthusiastic squeaks and Blue Doll's thrilled barks. It was like his Pokémon were expressing his excitement for him, which made his smile widen.

"It seems like the whole island is here!" Nova spoke Sun's thought as her eyes took in everything Iki Town had to offer. Her words reminded Sun that this was the first time she's been here. Even so, the town was making a great first impression on Nova and a great second impression on Sun. He had no idea that a town as small as this could fill this many people and Pokémon. His eyes focused mainly on the unfamiliar Pokémon accompanying their trainers. He could see some bird Pokémon with a long beak while other Pokémon stayed near the ground with their sharp teeth. There was a lot of new Pokémon to register in his pokedex and a lot of old Pokémon to see what his pokedex said as well. He recognized the smeargle, growlithe, and caterpie, to name a few. Sun looked at one specific Pokémon curiously. It looked like a black rattata with small tufts of fur on either side of its snout like a moustache. Yet it stood on two legs instead of the usual quadruped stance Sun was used to. Was this one of the Alolan variants his mother told him about? It certainly looked like it.

"Pika!" Cloud tugged on Sun's cheeks, distorting his smile to catch his attention. Sun turned to the direction that his pikachu wanted him to look in. Cloud released his small grip and grinned with Sun when the boy realized what made the Pikachu so excited.

"Lillie! Over here!" Sun called to her. The girl in the white hat started slightly when she heard her name. She looked in Sun's direction, her surprise clearing to a smile of recognition. Sun noticed how she tightened her grip on her bag's handle as she made her way over to him.

"Yup! We're all here to give thanks to Tapu Koko, our island guardian! It may be fickle at times, but it really does pull through for us when we need it, oh yeah!" Professor Kukui said, catching the boy's attention. From the corner of his eye, he saw his mother giggling knowingly.

"If that wasn't true, my son wouldn't be here right now. Right, Sun?" She nudged the boy, who nodded in response. "Good thing it found _you_ worthy of being saved." Sun could hear the critical undertone in his mother's voice. The boy's smile twitched a bit on its right side. Besides Lillie, Nova was the only other person who knew of Sun's attempt to catch Tapu Koko. While she didn't exactly mind, she did warn Sun that he had to be careful the next time he encountered a Legendary Pokémon. She herself had past experiences with them, especially concerning two different trios, and she knew firsthand how dangerous they could be. That was when Lillie reached them.

"Hey there, Lillie!" Professor Kukui smiled.

"Hi, Professor, Sun," Lillie greeted. "And good to see you two again." She smiled brightly at Sun's Pokémon, who reciprocated her gesture. Then she looked curiously at the unfamiliar woman standing next to Kukui. "Are you Sun's mother?"

"I am. It's nice to finally meet you, Lillie. Sun told me about you."

"He did?" Lillie looked at said boy in surprise. Sun simply shrugged indifference, the smile still on his face. Yet he leaned in close to her to whisper:

"Don't worry. I didn't tell her about Nebby." Just as he guessed, the slight worry in Lillie's eyes disappeared at his reassurance. Even so, she tightened her grip on her bag when she felt Nebby move around. She hoped that nobody saw the small movement. Sun leaned back just as his mother smiled at Lillie. The girl returned the kind smile. She couldn't help but think that Sun had inherited his smile from this woman. It was something nice to inherit, and she was suddenly struck with the thought of what she might have inherited from _her_ own mother. Obviously she inherited the woman's blonde hair and green eyes, but she hoped she didn't inherit anything bad from her mother. Lillie quickly shook that sobering thought away.

"It's very nice to meet you too, ma'am."

"No need for that ma'am business. Just call me Nova. Thank you for being friends with my son. He can be a little off sometimes, so I'm glad he's making friends already."

"Put a little more faith in your son, Nova. He's going to have a lot more friends than you think!" Kukui laughed.

"I very much doubt it," Nova mockingly sighed.

"Do you know when the grand battle's going to start, Professor Kukui?" Sun asked. He knew that a joking exchange between his mother and his professor could go on forever. Better for him to break it up now before they spend the whole festival standing around just talking with each other.

"It's not time yet for the grand battle. You'll know though, when Kahuna Hala calls for everybody's attention. You should explore everything our festival has to offer while you wait for the main event!" Professor Kukui suggested. Nova nodded in agreement.

"Good idea, Kukui. Come on, Sun. I want to go look at the stalls." The mother and son with the professor and assistant close behind began to explore the different stalls set up. Despite the swarms of people, there was still enough room for them to get around without bumping into others too much. They glanced at the different merchandises the shopkeepers had to offer. Some stalls they lingered a bit longer than others. At one point the small group dropped by one particularly popular booth to buy some malasadas. The long line took a while but once Sun bit into the piping hot malasada, he knew the wait was definitely worth it. He bit into it once more before feeding the rest to Cloud and Blue Doll. Both enjoyed it immensely, making quick work of the delicious treat. Sun's smile widened when he saw the satisfied look on his Pokémon's faces. It was a good thing that he bought another one beforehand, and they also finished that malasada just as quickly. As they continued to walk, one booth caught Nova's eye. She stopped to inspect some of the amulets and charms the shopkeeper had lay out for prospecting customers. The kids and professor also stopped to examine the same wares. As he and his Pokémon looked at the different trinkets sometimes made from the same material yet had a different form, Sun realized that the stall owner was looking right at him in curiosity.

"Hey, you're the kid who Tapu Koko saved, right?" he asked. Sun nodded in response. The man smiled at the boy's answer. His eyes flickered quickly from Sun to Blue Doll in his arms, and back to the boy. "That's right. Kahuna Hala gave you that popplio yesterday. That means you're taking the Island Challenge, right?"

"Island Challenge?" Sun tilted his head to the side in question. While Professor Kukui did mention it to him, Sun never received the full details. He had to admit to himself that those two words actually flew by him when he first heard them together. He wondered whether this island challenge was similar to the gym battles he was so used to back home. The boy heard the professor's deep chuckle on his side. When Sun looked over inquiringly, Professor Kukui held up four fingers.

"The Island Challenge is a set of trials found throughout all four main islands of Alola. Each island has their own set of trials. Once you beat those trials, you get a chance to participate in the Grand Trial of fighting the island kahuna. If you manage to beat all four island kahunas, you become the Island Challenge Champion, woo!"

"So it's like gym battles in other regions?" Sun asked.

Professor Kukui's smile widened. "Something like that, yeah. It's all about being the strongest trainer."

"Well, boy. Since you are doing the Island Challenge, you can have this for free," the stall owner said as he handed a yellow amulet to Sun. Shifting Blue Doll so he could hold the popplio comfortably with one arm, he took it with a polite gratitude before examining it with his Pokémon. He could see that both sides of the amulet had four triangles of red, yellow, pink, and purple. It was beautiful, skillfully carved and painted. "All trial goers get one to let people know that you're doing the Island Challenge," the man explained.

"Why, thank you very much for giving this to my son," Nova said. "Here, let me put it on your backpack for you." Nova took the amulet from Sun's hands and gestured for him to turn around. The boy complied, allowing his mother to easily clip it onto his backpack. She leaned back with a satisfied look on her face, liking how the amulet looked on her son's backpack. "Looks good."

"Thanks, Mom. And thank you, sir."

"Think nothing of it." The man smiled brightly. He opened his mouth to say more but a loud voice cut in to interrupt:

"Hey! Get back here, you scoundrel!" The small group at the stall looked up in surprise to see a strangely familiar Pokémon with a fish in its mouth sprinting towards them. Sun's smile twitched slightly in annoyance when he slightly recognized the Pokémon, though it looked different from what he saw every day at home. The main difference Sun noticed was its light blue-gray fur along with its arrogant, silver eyes. On closer inspection he would see that this meowth had a whitish-gray shade on areas where his mother's meowth had a brown coloration, and its whiskers were slightly curvier. Of all the Pokémon that could have ran towards them, it had to be the one thing that he hated the most. "Somebody, help!" the victim of the theft shouted.

Due to the density of the surroundings, it was difficult for people with Pokémon to skillfully stop the thief without possibly hurting anybody else. People did attempt to clear away from the areas that the Alolan meowth ran to but it cleverly slipped through the crowds, hiding itself from its chaser. If it had continued this strategy, perhaps it would have gotten away. However it ran into something that endangered its escape.

It ran into Sun.

Sun had been praying that no encounter would be made between them. Unfortunately the Alolan meowth decided to take this route. The boy attempted to ignore and step away from the Pokémon but then it hissed angrily at him as if he purposefully blocked its way. Sun's smile jerked wildly on its left at that. Thoughts of ignoring it flew out the window. "Cloud, Brick Break," Sun commanded when he deemed that the Alolan meowth was close enough.

"Ka!" Cloud leapt from Sun's shoulder and slammed his suddenly white tail into the wild Pokémon. It screeched in pain, the fish falling from its mouth. The force of the attack sent it flying almost three meters away. Cloud landed on his feet, sparks electrifying his cheeks. It was almost as if Sun's anger transferred over to the pikachu. Sun stared at the Pokémon closely in case though he knew that it would be rattled by that powerful attack. He was only slightly aware of the people parting on both sides to give him space. He didn't realize that Professor Kukui and Nova were watching him intensely while the tense look returned to Lillie's eyes.

The Alolan meowth struggled slightly to get back on its feet. After some thought, Sun took this chance to call Cloud back. The pikachu glanced back at his trainer curiously. The boy didn't see the questioning look as he set his popplio down. "This one's yours, Blue Doll," Sun said. Understanding overtook Cloud's confusion, and he ran back towards Sun. On the way he patted Blue Doll's head encouragingly. The popplio cried out happily before pulling himself forward. His usual happiness cleared for the familiar look of determination from yesterday to return. Blue Doll stared intently at his newest opponent. The Alolan meowth finally got back to its feet albeit shakily. It didn't expect to be hit by such a powerful and super effective attack from a mouse. With a loud hiss, it glared at the human responsible for its sorry state. Despite Sun's smiling expression, his eyes looked at the Pokémon coldly. Though the thief flinched at the malicious look, it steeled itself to take its revenge. The Alolan meowth revealed sharp claws and ran towards Blue Doll with a Scratch ready.

Sun was struck with the memory of Hau's litten scratching his popplio. Feeling his blood boil at the vivid image, the boy pointed towards the fast thief. "Water Gun." Blue Doll inhaled deeply and shot the stream of water at the scratch cat Pokémon. Given its momentum the Alolan meowth couldn't dodge the attack in time. Despite the attack doing only normal damage to it, it screeched painfully and irritatingly at the water seeping into its fur. A cat was still a cat. The Water Gun slowed down the Alolan meowth noticeably. Sun then considered his next options for a moment and came to a decision. He would be better off with another Water Gun, just to ram the lesson home into the scratch cat Pokémon.

However, before he could give the command again, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Professor Kukui grinning widely at him. Warning bells rang in Sun's head at this development. They rang even louder when the professor handed him a pokeball. A sinking feeling formed at the pit of Sun's stomach at the gesture. Without thinking, he took the pokeball. The next thing the professor said sealed it:

"Now's your chance, Sun! Catch that Alolan meowth!"

"What?!" The statement alone was almost enough to make Sun drop his smile. However he managed to retain it with its slight movements.

"Come on! You can do it! Catch that Pokémon!" Kukui's cry was taken up by the people who encircled them. Wherever Sun looked, he only saw faces cheering for the capture of the Alolan meowth. One full circle around, and then he caught his mother's look. His irritation flared to new heights when he saw that smug light in Nova's eyes. It was as if she was taunting him, teasing him that he would soon have a Pokémon he hated so passionately on his team. It was almost enough to make Sun throw the pokeball to the ground and have Cloud finish off the Alolan meowth. However there were too many witnesses here. That action would have told everybody here that there might be something wrong with their newest neighbor. Lillie might have already got wind of it. Sun couldn't let anybody else have a shred of evidence about his true nature.

Sun reluctantly turned back to the Alolan meowth, still soaked and struggling from Blue Doll's attack. Gripping the pokeball so tightly that it might have shattered, the boy took one step forward and hurled it right at the wild Pokémon's head. The thief cried out in pain when it felt the capture device hit its gold coin dead center. The next thing it knew, a red laser trapped it into the capsule. The Alolan meowth fought to break free of the prison. From the people's view, the pokeball wiggled on the ground. Everybody held their breath in anticipation of whether Sun caught the Alolan meowth or not. It was many against one for the capture of the wild Pokémon.

They didn't wait long as the scratch cat Pokémon stopped struggling and a beep signaled that the catch was successful. The crowd erupted into cheers at the achievement. Sun's smile twitched at the celebrating people around him. However he didn't voice anything as Professor Kukui slapped the boy on his back.

"Great job, Sun! Now you caught yourself an Alolan meowth! Oh yeah!"

"That was a good catch!" Nobody besides Sun heard the mocking undertones in Nova's voice. She giggled lightly at the subtle glare Sun gave her. "Now you have your own meowth! I'm sure you two would become fast friends!"

"I doubt it," Sun muttered, only low enough for Cloud to hear. However the boy kept his smile constant as he walked over to pick up the pokeball. Along the way he also picked up Blue Doll, who clapped his fins proudly. At least his popplio managed to get some more experience, the only benefit from this battle. All around him he heard the roars of approval and congratulations. His smile almost threatened to disappear but somehow the boy managed to maintain it. He gently took the pokeball with a hidden grimace. Sun clipped it onto his belt, and, before he could return to his small group, a man made his way towards him. Sun wondered what the stranger could want until the man shook his hand wholeheartedly.

"Thank you so much for catching the little rascal! He's been stealing from me for the past month! He must have followed me to the festival for more of my fish," the older man explained gratefully. Sun then recognized the voice that first shouted. He nodded in reply. The stall owner continued, "How could I ever repay you?"

"Oh, there's no need. I was…happy to catch it," Sun somehow managed to say that without a murderous expression. Not wanting to prolong things any longer, the boy quickly waved a good-bye to the man before hurrying back over to his mother. His smile still plastered on his face to let everybody assume he was proud of himself. If one were to look deep into his eyes, however, one would be able to see the thinly-veiled odium and vexation the boy felt about the whole affair.

"Your first caught Alolan Pokémon! Feels great, doesn't it?" Kukui chuckled once Sun reached them.

"Yes," Sun lied. He took out his pokedex to check up on his newest Pokémon:

_Meowth, the scratch cat Pokémon. This prideful and crafty Pokémon was not originally found in Alola. It would fly in a hysterical rage if its pride is wounded or gold coin is dirtied._

He noticed that it was a male with the Pick Up ability. That ability could be useful on his travels if he was even planning to bring the thing along with him in the first place. Checking his move-set, Sun saw that the Alolan meowth knew Scratch, Growl, and Bite. Not too bad considering that he was still at a low level. A small feature caught his eye on his pokedex screen just as he was about to put his tool away. When he swiped at it, he realized that his pokedex had also registered his mother's meowth in its database:

_Meowth, the scratch cat Pokémon. It lies around all day, becoming active near dusk to search for loose change. It often fights with Mukrow over prey and shiny things they're both trying to catch._

It didn't sound any different from his own meowth. Sun almost scowled at that mental statement. He never would have thought that he would be saying those three words together in the same sentence. He made a mental note to leave this Pokémon in the PC the first chance he got. Never look at it again. Or better yet, release it back into the wild with no witnesses. However what Lillie said stopped the trainer cold in his tracks:

"Um…I hope you can be good friends with that Alolan meowth. No…after seeing you yesterday with Blue Doll, I'm sure you'll be great friends with that meowth. Take good care of it, okay?"

Sun stared at his friend, his grinning face giving nothing away about his desire to slam his head against a pole or something and scream his frustration to Arceus. Thanks to that statement, he now had to keep this damned Pokémon in his party. Granted he could do what he initially wanted to do with the Alolan meowth. However, since Lillie practically asked him to care for the Pokemon, he couldn't find the heart to refuse that seemingly simple request. Not only that, he didn't want to destroy the image of him the people he met had in their heads. Not using the Pokémon on his team would do just that. And judging the people around him, he could see that they had a lot of sentimental value. If this Pokémon was his second or third catch, sure, it wouldn't have been a problem to store it or even release it. But this was the _first Pokémon he caught_ here in Alola. That elevated the Alolan meowth's value in the people's minds and kept him safe from Sun's wrath.

"Yup," Sun was able to force that word through gritted teeth. He couldn't say anything else beyond that without fear of dropping his smile.

"So are you going to give a nickname to it like you did for your popplio?" Nova asked slyly. Her son looked at her for a second or two before responding:

"His name's Gaffe."

Nova frowned a bit at the implications of that nickname. She crossed her arms in careful disapproval. "Now really, Sun. You're going to name him that?" By this time, the people had gone back to their own business until the grand battle was to be announced.

"Yes." This time, it was easy for Sun to say that word. His tone made it clear that anything his mother said would not change his mind. Nova shook her head slightly. Although she was hoping that this would be her son's chance to learn to like cat Pokémon, he was already making it difficult for himself to progress. She hoped that it would be a temporary thing. Perhaps once he grew comfortable with the Alolan meowth, he would change the Pokémon's nickname. It wouldn't do to have such a horrible name for such a respectable Pokémon.

Even Professor Kukui and Lillie shared the same thoughts as Nova. Kukui scratched his beard thoughtfully. "Are you sure you want to name your Alolan meowth that?"

"Yup."

"Even though it means 'mistake'?"

"Now that isn't very nice, is it? How can you hope to be friends with it then?" Lillie asked. Sun's smile twitched on its right side. He shrugged, taking some entertainment at the professor and his friend's discomfort. Although he usually wouldn't want to do anything to make them uncomfortable, he still couldn't help the feeling of slight satisfaction from their reactions. It helped make him feel better about the whole matter.

"Oh, I'll manage. Don't you worry," Sun hummed as he turned away from the stall to explore anything else the festival had to offer. Professor Kukui and Lillie shared puzzling looks while Nova simply sighed with a shrug of her shoulders.

"That son of mine…I'm not sure whether I like that he takes after me and not his father." Her meowth hissed in agreement before following the woman after her son. The professor and his assistant also trailed behind, and they continued browsing as if there wasn't a disturbance caused by an Alolan meowth in the first place. Sun was pleased to see that Lillie didn't seem as disturbed about his earlier action as they conversed with one another while the grown-ups had their own private discussion. At one point he almost burst out laughing when Nebby attempted to fly out of the bag. Fortunately Lillie managed to catch the strange Pokémon before it revealed itself to everybody living on the island. Sun suggested that his friend unzipped the bag just so Nebby wouldn't feel so lonely. It helped that Cloud changed his position to Sun's arm so that he could keep Nebby a bit of company. Sun also discreetly fed the little guy some food while they walked, a task made easier from the fact that the two children strolled with the bag positioned between them. Yet despite the merriments, Sun couldn't stop his mind from wandering back to Gaffe. He wondered how he would deal with the Pokémon and whether he would even use it in future battles. He still questioned himself about that when they came upon a Pokémon Center stand and he had his Pokémon rested to perfect health. Sun returned Blue Doll to his pokeball but kept Cloud out.

Pretty soon, when the sun nearly set to say goodbye, a sense of anticipation rose in the air. Everybody's chatter became a bit subdued as they focused their attention on the sight of a familiar old man walking up to stand on the platform. Sun felt his heart quickening as he realized that this was the main event he had been waiting for. Along with everybody else he watched intently, excited for what was to come. Kahuna Hala smiled warmly at the people. Then his voice boomed:

"Thank you all for coming to our festival to celebrate our peaceful way of life. It is thanks to our island's guardian deity, Tapu Koko, that we are able to live in harmony with our Pokémon. For all life on our islands…and for those who undertake the island challenge with joy in their hearts…we continually pray for its protection. As a gift and offering to our guardian deity for everything it has done, we will have a grand Pokémon battle for everybody to see!" At those words, everybody cheered. They had been waiting for this moment, and they impatiently waited to see who would be the lucky battlers. Hala waited until the crowd settled down before speaking again.

"Please come forth…Hau, grandson to the kahuna." There was a slight pause. Then a ripple in the crowd revealed the boy smiling joyfully. The Alolans parted to allow Hau to step through and erupted into cheers once the boy went up the platform. His face flushed slightly from the people's adulation as he stood ready at one end. Sun wasn't very surprised as he already surmised that Hau would be picked from his status as the kahuna's grandson. He would have been surprised if Hau wasn't picked. Although Sun had beaten him soundly yesterday, Sun felt that his new friend had the potentiality to go further. If it had been anybody else but Sun, Hau probably would have won. The boy snapped his thoughts back to reality in order to hear the next battler come up.

"And before him, please stand…Sun, one who has met with Tapu Koko."

It took a second or two before the message sunk in. Sun couldn't believe it as Cloud squeaked in delight for his trainer. Was he actually picked to participate? He had a feeling that he might have been picked considering how Kahuna Hala still needed to give him back that sparkling stone along with a vague hope that he would be picked. But he never thought that it would actually come true. He still stood in his spot, processing the information, when his mother finally nudged him forward.

"Come on, Sun! Don't keep everybody waiting!" she said cheerfully. When the people around him realized that he was right there, they also urged him on. The trainer's smile widened slightly as he glided through the masses with relative ease. He felt some people slapping his back in congratulations. However he didn't pay much attention to the cheers. Instead, his mind worked to form a strategy against his opponent. He initially planned to use only Blue Doll should he be picked for the grand battle as Cloud could finish the battle quickly. However, after catching the Alolan meowth, he wondered whether he should use him. Similarly to Blue Doll, Gaffe would need to train a lot before he could reach Cloud's level yet the Alolan meowth's low level wasn't the issue. The main problem was that whether or not Sun considered Gaffe to be a main part of his team. If Gaffe was, then he would have to use him to train him. If Gaffe wasn't…Still deep in thought he finally made his way up the stairs to the platform. Sun shared a grin with Hau. The newcomer walked to the opposite side of the platform before facing his opponent. Hau grinned brightly as he placed his hands on his hips.

"No holding back! I'm going to win this time, Sun!"

Sun covered his mouth with a hand to stop a chuckle from slipping through. "We'll see about that." He noticed Hala standing back a bit, giving ample space for their Pokémon to battle. The old man held up both hands towards the sky.

"Hau! Sun! Bring forth the power of your Pokémon! Let the battle…begin!"

"Pichu, let's go!"

"Come out, Gaffe!" Both parties threw their respective pokeballs in the air. Flashes of white released the two opposing Pokémon from their confinements. Hau's pichu squeaked adorably as it faced its opponent. Gaffe, however, crossed his arms and turned his head away with his nose in the air, paying no attention to his opponent nor his trainer. Sun's smile twitched at the behavior his newest Pokémon was showing. He knew that Gaffe sensed his aversion of cat Pokémon, and the Alolan meowth was reciprocating that feeling. It annoyed him, especially when Sun finally decided with some distaste to attempt to keep Gaffe on his team. For Lillie's sake. He would have gladly used Blue Doll for the whole battle if he hadn't remember what Lillie asked him concerning his latest catch. As a result, now he had to struggle with a Pokémon he hated. _I can't wait to see how this goes_ , he thought sarcastically to himself. He had a feeling things wouldn't turn out well.

Hau took the first move. "Pichu, use Charm!"

"Bite, Gaffe!" Sun responded.

Pichu rubbed its cheeks with its paws as it looked adorably at the Alolan meowth. While Gaffe did hesitate a bit from the Charm, he still managed to ignore it to fight. Unfortunately he didn't open his mouth to reveal sharp fangs for a Bite. Instead the Alolan meowth extended his claws and used Scratch on the electric mouse Pokémon. Hau's pichu squeaked in pain as it ran a little bit away from Gaffe, tears in its eyes. Gaffe smirked to himself with his arms crossed in satisfaction. He didn't care to give his "trainer" a glance, which may have been a good thing. Sun's smile twitched wildly on its left side at the disobedience Gaffe showed. He felt Cloud nervously travel from his right shoulder to his left. The pikachu shook his head at the Alolan meowth's behavior. While Cloud shared Sun's hatred of cat Pokémon, also for Lillie's sake he felt that he could perhaps become friends with Sun's newly caught Pokémon. He hoped that he could discourage this sort of conduct before Gaffe took it too far. It certainly wouldn't do the Alolan meowth any good.

"Gaffe, Bite," Sun repeated, his eyes trained on his Pokémon.

"Mreowr." Gaffe snarked as he began to comb himself. Sun's smile convulsed even more. He could hear the people muttering questions to one another. Why wasn't the Alolan meowth obeying Sun? Was it naturally like that or was it because of the trainer himself? What did that say about the trainer? Sun could imagine all those questions and more running in everybody's head. Underneath his constant grin his teeth grinded in fury.

"Chu…" Cloud felt Sun's jaw clench and knew that Gaffe was going to be in a world of hurt after this battle away from prying eyes. He couldn't remember the last time his trainer expressed his anger through something other than his endless smile and its slight movements.

"Pichu, try a Thundershock!" Hau commanded. Sparks began to fly around the little mouse Pokémon as it charged its electricity. With a loud cry, Pichu unleashed its voltage at Gaffe. Sun didn't even care to tell his Pokémon to dodge. He watched Gaffe leap clear out of the way. The Alolan meowth landed on all fours, his fur slightly bristled in annoyance. He reared back on his hind legs and growled loudly at the pichu. Pichu flattened its ears on its head to futilely block out the sound. Unfortunately Sun saw that that move wouldn't do Gaffe much good as the only attacking move Hau's pichu showed was a special move. And unless Hau taught Pichu physical moves with some TMs and HMs, then using Growl would be a wasted effort. Of course, it was obvious that Gaffe didn't know that. Otherwise he wouldn't have used it.

It was equally unfortunate that Gaffe currently only knew physical moves. Pichu's Charm already cut the Alolan meowth's attack power down two stages. As a result now the electric mouse had the advantage. If they both continued attacking with their respective moves, Hau's Pichu would win out. Sun thought about his next options, only to have his process interrupted by a surprisingly welcoming shout.

"Come on, Sun! You can do it!" Sun's head snapped up to look at Lillie calling from the crowd. His heart lifted slightly when he saw the support from his new friend. He could also see his mother and Professor Kukui standing nearby. While the professor waved an encouraging hand, Nova grinned an expression so similar to Sun's smile.

 _I taught you better than that._ We _taught you better than that._

He could almost hear his mother saying that in her teasing voice. Driving that thought out of his mind to concentrate back on the battle, he crossed his arms. Sun decided to test the waters a bit further before turning this battle around. "Gaffe, Bite," he tried commanding again. Gaffe looked over his shoulder at the boy and hissed. From that Sun confirmed that his Alolan meowth would attempt to do everything to disobey him.

With the Alolan meowth's attention drawn to his trainer, Pichu charged up another Thunder Shock. This time the attack hit Gaffe. He yelped loudly in pain, his fur sticking out with all the electricity flowing through him. Sun could smell the sizzling coming from his Pokemon. His only, slight response came from the right side of his smile.

"That's it, Pichu! Keep it up!" Hau cheered at the successful Thundershock.

"Pi! Pichu, pi!" the cute mouse Pokémon jumped up and down in excitement.

Cloud couldn't help but grin at that. He patted Sun's cheeks lightly. When he saw Sun look from the corner of his eyes. "Pika. Pi, pika pi? Pikachu, pika, chu."

Sun nodded. Somehow, though his expression didn't change at all, the air around him seemed to become a bit more pleasant than when the battle first started. "Of course, I remember. But let's see how to deal with our newest member, shall we?"

"Pikachu," Cloud responded in agreement. He and his trainer turned their attention back to the battle. Sun judged from Gaffe's state that he could only take at most three Thunder Shocks before the Pokémon fainted.

"Use Bite." Sun's voice was a calm contrast to Hau's cheery shout. Once again, Gaffe refused to obey the boy. Instead the Alolan meowth charged towards the pichu with his claws outstretched. Sun shook his head at Gaffe's action. He watched again as Hau's pichu managed to dodge the attack. Pichu used another Thunder Shock. Another hit. Things were looking grim on Sun's side. And they would continue to look grim if he didn't do something quick. Yet Sun already knew what he had to do. From the second Bite command, Sun already knew that the Alolan meowth would use other moves besides the one he ordered Gaffe to. So if Sun wanted him to actually use Bite…

"Scratch attack, Gaffe."

As Sun predicted, his Pokémon retracted his claws and ran towards Hau's pichu with his fangs gleaming from the torches' lights. Gaffe bit the top of Pichu's head, earning squeaks of pain. He wouldn't let the little thing go even as it attempted to run away with tears in its eyes. Sun saw Hau open his mouth, knowing what the other boy would say before he even formed the words:

"Thunder Shock, Pichu!"

"Pi…chu!" with that angry squeak, Pichu discharged as much electricity as it could. At such a close range the attack was devastating. Gaffe released his hold on the opponent but it was too late. The pichu continued to shock him. The Alolan meowth probably would have fainted right then and there had Sun not had his pokeball ready. The red laser zapped Gaffe back into the capsule, giving him respite from the vengeful move. At the throwing of the towel, the people watching cheered at the victory of the electric mouse Pokémon. Some of the more observant people noticed that Sun didn't seem too disappointed by the loss. If anything, the boy had wanted that to happen, just so he had a legitimate excuse to recall Gaffe for a better Pokémon.

"Looks like that battle was mine, Sun!" Hau laughed. His opponent nodded in confirmation.

"Yes, but I promise the next wouldn't be. Your turn, Blue Doll!" Sun eagerly clipped Gaffe's pokeball back onto his belt and threw Blue Doll's pokeball into the air. The popplio appeared in the flash of white. Landing on his tailfins, he barked happily with a flashy pose before settling down. All around him Sun could hear the questions of the people again. Why use a water-type Pokémon against an electric-type? Why not just use the pikachu on his shoulders for this battle? It would have been a much better matchup than this. Even Hau was confused about Sun's choice. Unlike everybody else though, he raised that question.

"Why not use your pikachu?"

Sun's smile twitched slightly on its right. "Oh, but I want to use Blue Doll. Is there a problem with that?"

"No, not really…" Hau scratched his head, still puzzled. However his bewilderment quickly cleared. "No, not at all!" he said now with more assurance. "As long as we can have fun in this battle! Right, Pichu?"

"Pi! Pi!" Pichu cheered, its confidence a bit higher after almost taking out the arrogant Alolan meowth. Sun's smile twitched again a bit on the right side at their enthusiasm.

"Let's see how you fare then," he whispered to himself. In a raised voice, "Water Gun, Blue Doll!"

"Bwark!" the popplio cried. He open his mouth to fire powerful water at the pichu.

"Dodge it!"

Obeying Hau perfectly, Pichu jumped out of the way. But Blue Doll began to turn his head, following after the little mouse Pokémon. It continued to run around the platform with the Water Gun hot on its tail. Eventually the popplio ran out of steam and ceased fire.

"Use Charm!"

"Don't let it! Slide and end this with a Pound!" Sun countered, his response quicker than when he was battling with Gaffe. As Pichu began rubbing its cheeks again to lower Blue Doll's attack, the popplio slipped from the pichu's line of sight by sliding on the now-wet platform. Hau's eyes widened in shock as Blue Doll zipped around much like his pichu had when it was dodging the Water Gun. Due to Blue Doll's astonishing turn of speed, Pichu's Charm proved to be ineffective. The opposing trainer opened his mouth to correctly counter the move but he was too late. The popplio covered the distance between him and his opponent swiftly. The pichu barely had time to react when the water-type Pokémon smacked it away with one flipper. The attack combined with the momentum of the slide sent Pichu flying. It stayed in the air for a few seconds before it landed on the platform. Swirls were in its eyes to notify them that it was out of commission.

The crowd was stunned for a moment before they erupted in praise. They had expected Hau's pichu to end the battle quickly with a Thunder Shock. However, Sun was able to turn things around and make a seemingly failed move work to his advantage. The hype was getting to the islanders, and they waited excitedly for Hau's next move.

Hau, for his part, called back his pichu. He smiled warmly at the pokeball. "Good job, Pichu. We'll get some malasadas later." He looked back up to grin at Sun. "I wasn't expecting that to happen."

Sun shrugged, his smile broadening slightly. "That's good. If you did, I wouldn't have won." Hau nodded thoughtfully.

"Maybe. But don't think I'm out yet!" He grabbed the last pokeball from his belt and threw it forward. "Litten, I choose you!"

The fire-type starter landed on the platform with a cry. Then it noticed all the water from Blue Doll's Water Gun and hissed angrily. It wasn't expecting this at all. Sun almost couldn't stop the chuckle from slipping at the sight of the fire cat Pokémon's discomfort. Oh, he was going to enjoy beating this Pokémon again.

"Blue Doll, use Growl!" Sun pointed to the litten.

"Counter it with your own Growl!" Hau commanded. The two starter Pokemon simultaneously released high-pitched Growls designed to lower the opponent's attack. Similarly to their last face-off, Blue Doll benefitted from the exchange. Hau shook his head slightly when he saw how ineffective his counter was. If Litten was facing Gaffe or even Cloud, then perhaps his Growl would have done some good. With Blue Doll though, he might as well have done nothing at all. Hau's mind raced for any options he could use. Yet Sun barely gave him time to think as he went on the offensive again. He noticed that his new rival seemed to prefer attacking.

"Water Gun!"

"Brr…arf!" Blue Doll barked in confirmation before firing the deadly attack at the litten. It hit him square in the chest, earning a screech of pain and annoyance.

"Again!"

"Dodge it!" Hau managed to say this time. If he hadn't, that might have been the battle. Litten tensed his muscles and leapt out of the way at the last minute. He took care not to land in any of the puddles from the earlier Water Guns. Even as his opponent continued his attack, the litten managed with some effort to dance around it. Blue Doll stopped with a slightly disappointed light in his eyes. He had wanted to finish the fire-type off with that move as he sensed that that was what Sun wanted. Fortunately his trainer didn't seem too perturbed that the battle didn't end there. He would have been slightly disappointed if it did.

"Scratch attack!"

"Pound, Blue Doll!"

Litten sprang forward with all the speed of a cat. Blue Doll also slid towards him through the water puddles again. This time Litten got the better exchange as not only did he deflect Blue Doll's Pound, he also got two Scratches in. The popplio winced a bit from the attack. He slid a good distance away and shook his fin where the double Scratch got him.

Sun looked at his Pokémon, his smile fading just a tad bit. "You all right, Blue Doll?" He saw how the popplio nodded confirmation that the attack hadn't bothered him too much.

"Ember!"

"Meowr!" Litten spat a flaming hairball at Blue Doll. The projectile landed on a surprised Blue Doll's tailfins. The water-type jumped in the air in shock before he crashed back onto the platform. He waved his tailfins around quickly, then slapped them in one of his puddles. Immediately the burning sensation went away and allowed Blue Doll some respite. However his opponent went back on the offensive with Hau commanding another Scratch attack.

"Slide out of there, Blue Doll," Sun ordered calmly. The popplio obeyed but not before Litten got his attack in. The cry of pain caused the left side of Sun's smile to twitch wildly. Now he felt that he had dragged this battle long enough. It was fun while it lasted but Hau was getting in too many hits. Sun didn't want his Pokémon to be hurt any more than they had to. Time to end it so he could get his Pokémon healed up, Gaffe included, he realized with some surprise. He pointed directly at the litten and said, "Water Gun." While still sliding away from the fire-type Pokémon, Blue Doll spun around perfectly and blasted water at him. "Keep at it." Sun didn't want Blue Doll to let up even when he saw the super-effective move hit Litten.

Try as the fire starter might, he couldn't avoid the relatively strong move. Litten was stubborn but while his character might not have a limit, his body did. Blue Doll pushed for one last blast, and soon Hau's Pokémon collapsed with swirls in his eyes. Hau was quick to return his litten back to his pokeball. It was almost as if the crowd didn't realize that the battle was over until the opposing Pokemon to the popplio disappeared. Once the red laser retreated, a thousand voices joined together in an enormous cheer.

"Hoo-ee! Another great battle this year's."

"I bet Tapu Koko liked it, too."

Hau grinned sheepishly and scratched his head. "Wow! That was a great battle! I thought I almost had you there for a second, but I still had a blast fighting you!"

Sun nodded in some satisfaction as he covered his mouth. He was slightly disappointed that he didn't see a good opportunity to try Blue Doll's newest move, a move that was also unfamiliar to him, but overall he felt that the battle gave his popplio some more valuable experience. "It was a good battle." He was about to say more when a resounding cry from the forest hushed everybody. Almost as one, the whole town turned their attention to the forest leading to Tapu Koko's ruins.

"Ko-ko-kooo!" the island guardian roared its approval of the tribute battle. At that the people erupted into more cheers. Sun heard Hala laugh:

"Ho! You heard it yourself! Tapu Koko's song of approval. A fine battle it was! Oh, I nearly forgot!" The kahuna then walked over to Sun. "I think it is time you take this, Sun." He had a white bracelet-like object in his hands. The boy recognized some of the parts to be the exact same ones as the ones on his sparkling stone. He held it gingerly, instinctively in fear that he might break the beautifully crafted bangle. Although he appreciated how it looked, Sun had no idea what it was. Hala soon answered that for him. "Your Z-Ring, a mysterious armband that can draw out the power that lies deep within Pokémon…It can bring forth their Z-Power, but only if you have the correct Z-Crystal. You can collect more Z-Crystals during your island challenge."

Z-Ring? Z-Power? Z-Crystals? All the new terms made Sun's head swim a bit. Were they something like the Mega Stones he heard his mother and her friends talk about? He wasn't too sure. However he knew that these Z-things were something to be reckoned with. Sun nodded in understanding as he examined his Z-Ring again. Even Cloud and Blue Doll, who had slid his way over, looked at it in curiosity. Sun could see an indent where the presumed Z-Crystal would be held. He wondered whether Z-Crystals were exclusive to certain Pokémon like the Mega Stones or any Pokémon could use them. It would be nice if any kind of Pokémon could use them.

"It seems Tapu Koko took quite a liking to you." Sun looked up in curiosity. Kahuna Hala looked like he was in deep thought as he examined the trainer who beat his grandson a second time. He continued, "Or perhaps it has a mission for you."

"That sounds like it's time for you to get out there and start your island challenge! If you visit every island, maybe you'll figure out what that mission is," Professor Kukui suggested. Sun turned to look at him where he along with Nova and Lillie had stepped closer to the platform. It was a strange feeling, looking down at the professor from his position. The trainer mentally shook that sensation away as he nodded. He returned Blue Doll to his pokeball and then started down the stairs, people bombarding him with congratulations all around. Sun noticed how the community here was not at all afraid to interact with one another. It was heartwarming, but at the same time Sun wished it wasn't so. While expressing his gratitude to the crowd, he finally wormed his way over to his mother, Professor Kukui and Lillie. Nova gave her son a huge hug once Sun was in arm's reach.

"You did a great job, Sun." And in a lower voice, "You might have been able to do a bit better though." Sun's smile moved a bit in annoyance. He knew she was going to say something along those lines, especially with his performance concerning Gaffe. Seeing how she herself got very far in the Indigo League and helped him train along with her friends, her standards were quite high even for her son. Still at least she praised him.

"Thanks, Mom," he said sincerely. Nova mirrored her son's smile, and he knew that despite what she said, she really was proud of him. He made a mental note to tell his dad about today's events as well.

"Both of you did a really good job," Lillie said to him. "But do you think you'll be okay with Gaffe? He didn't seem to like you at all…" At that, Sun shrugged indifferently.

"It'll take time, but I'm sure we'll be able to pull through. Don't you worry, Lillie." And he meant it. He had promised himself that Gaffe wouldn't disobey him like that again. If the Alolan meowth did, he would face dire consequences in the future, consequences that would surely convince the scratch cat Pokémon that it was an unwise idea to challenge his trainer. Sun's smile twitched slightly on its left as he had that thought. Then he shook it away. He didn't want to think about that anymore for the time being. Lillie still looked slightly unconvinced, but she slowly nodded in agreement. Sun then looked at Professor Kukui. "Professor, what exactly is Z-Power?" The older man only grinned widely as he slapped the boy's back in another laudatory gesture.

"I'll tell you tomorrow when you start out on your journey. For now, let's enjoy the rest of the festival!"

"Yeah!" Sun turned around to see Hau jumping behind and almost crashing into him. Fortunately the excited rival stopped himself just in time to wrap an arm around both Sun and Lillie's shoulders. "Come on, Sun, Lillie! Let's go get some malasadas!" Without waiting for their response, Hau quickly grabbed his two friends' wrists to pull them towards the delicious stall that still had quite the long line. While Lillie gave a slight shout of surprise, Sun couldn't stop the chuckle from slipping and Cloud squeaked in excitement of the delicious flavors to come. While he wished that the professor had actually answered his question, Sun settled with the thought that he would know everything tomorrow. Professor Kukui's advice of simply enjoying the festival for the rest of the evening sounded pretty good to the boy, especially since the thought of what to do with Gaffe had slipped right back in his unconscious mind. He had to shake the thought away again before resuming his chat with his two friends. Nova and Kukui followed close behind the trio of children, each exchanging a knowing smile of what the near future would hold for them on the adventures. Little did they know that things would turn out quite different due to one child's influence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. "Speak of the Giratina" is literally my Pokémon version of "speak of the devil" considering how Giratina was banished by Arceus (the usually accepted god of the Pokémon universe) to the Distortion World for its violence.
> 
> 2\. My final Pokémon team for Moon did not have an Alolan persion named Gaffe. I do have an Alolan meowth named Garfeit, which was supposed to be Garfield but I was lazy in changing it and liked how Garfeit looked.
> 
> 3\. Sun has yet to learn that HMs are not allowed in the Alola region. Similarly, because he was raised in both the Kanto and Johto regions when Mega Evolution isn't as wide-spread as in the Kalos region, the concept of it is still relatively new to him and his mother.
> 
> 4\. Unlike the games, I'm not limiting my Pokémon to only four moves. My rule is that each Pokémon knows eight moves. Two TM moves and a possible egg move can be a part of the move set, with the remaining of the moves coming from the Pokémon's natural move pool. I think that Pokémon are intelligent enough to learn more than just four moves. In this case, psychic-type Pokémon actually have a slight advantage with them being able to remember ten moves. Despite that though, each Pokémon would still have a "main" move set consisting of four moves. These moves are the ones that trainers usually use in battle the most. Still legal for them to use their other moves, of course.
> 
> 5\. Just wondering, does anybody want to know like the stats of Sun's team? Like their moveset, nature, etc.? Or naw? I'm fine either way.
> 
> 6\. Looks like I'm updating along holiday timeline so far so...Happy Single-Awareness Day! ...Or Valentine's Day, I suppose? Pfft, I don't know. I'm probably going to break this trend soon unconsciously.


	4. Gentle on the Goodz!

"Looks like you're all set for your first Pokémon journey, aren't you, Sun?" Nova asked with an amused albeit slightly sad smile. Said boy looked up to return the expression.

"Yup. I've got everything I need. Just need to walk out the door." He swung his backpack over his shoulders, feeling the symbolic weight of the journey through it. Another weight suddenly loaded his shoulders and prompted him to look. Sun's smile widened as Cloud chirped excitedly. His mother nodded several times as a wistful light colored her eyes.

"Seeing you like this reminds me of my own journey," she mused, the memories of traversing through the Kanto region flooding back to her. As if in silent agreement, mother, son, and Pokémon looked over to the kitchen counter where a small picture stood. Four children, three males and one female, all the same age, stood in a line to smile and pose for the camera with their respective starter Pokémon. Well…at least young Nova and the Pokémon posed. One of her friends remained stoic as ever, the second had an annoyed yet smug look on his face, and the last smiled uncertainly. All in all, Sun always got a laugh whenever he looked at it. This time, though, he wondered whether he would be able to meet his mother's friends again, or his uncles as he liked to address them. For sure one of them he would be seeing again, considering that that friend was his father. Nova's voice suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts, prompting him to look at her. "I'm just glad that you're already making friends. That Lillie girl and Hau boy would do you good."

Sun mockingly rolled his eyes, his smile twitching slightly. "I can't believe you ever doubted me. I am your son after all."

"It's specifically because you're my son that I worry. I was lucky that I grew up with them and happened to meet your father. Otherwise, say good-bye to you and Cloud!" Nova laughed.

"Pi?" Cloud questioned. Before Sun could reply to either Nova's jest or Cloud's inquiry, a knock sounded from the door. All of them looked to the door keenly, half expecting Professor Kukui to barge in like he did the other two times. When nothing happened for a few seconds, Sun finally moved towards the door to open it. Who he saw on their porch made his smile widen.

"Hello, Lillie. What brings you here?" he asked the blonde girl. Cloud greeted her with his own smiling cry and a paw outstretched. Sun opened the door wider to let her enter. He watched his friend shuffle in just centimeters away from the door. He wondered idly whether Nebby was in her bag currently. Probably, considering how she brought the strange creature to a very crowded festival yesterday. Lillie never seemed to like to keep the strange thing out of sight despite how Nebby liked to run, or rather, float, off.

"Oh. Um…the professor asked me to get you," Lillie explained. "He said something like, 'Hey there, Lillie! Bring me that great new Trainer. Woo!'"

"That's a great impression of Kukui," Nova laughed. Sun had to agree. His friend did a good job mimicking the professor's excited nature, even if she didn't seem to exhibit that same energy herself. The sound of the woman's laughter seemed to calm Lillie down somewhat, although she tightened her grip around her bag. It didn't go unnoticed by Sun that coincided with the bag wiggling slightly. Fortunately the boy blocked his mother's view of the reaction, else she might have questioned it. When the girl spoke again, there was some more confidence in her voice.

"So, I'm here to show you the way to his Pokémon lab, if you'll come with me." Lillie looked away shyly. The left side of Sun's mouth twitched in thought. He wondered what the professor could want with him. The boy betted that the man simply wanted to see him off, which Sun didn't mind. Maybe he could get a map of the islands from Kukui. He learned from Nova that a map was a Pokémon trainer's best friend, right after their Pokémon and a number of other important items. In answer to Lillie's, and to an extent Kukui's, request Sun nodded his answer.

"Sure. I'll come along," Sun agreed. "Did he say what he wanted me for?" Even before he finished the sentence, Lillie shook her head.

"He didn't say."

"Well, you won't know if you continue to stay here!" Nova said firmly. "It's high time you get out there, both of you!" Her warm smile belied the rough handling Sun received. The woman shoved her son out the house, galvanizing the girl to also hurry out. Cloud gave a startled cry when he felt the bumpiness of his trainer regaining his balance after tripping down the stairs. Both trainer and Pokémon simultaneously released sighs of relief once the worst was over. Sun looked over at his mother as Lillie shuffled to his side. Through some miracle he managed to retain his smile albeit it twitching it slightly. Nova only chuckled at that. Like Cloud, she knew exactly what her son was feeling through his smile's movement. Despite Sun's clearly expressed (in only a handful of people's eyes) aggravation, she didn't let it bother her. Nova placed her hands on her hips. "Don't keep Kukui waiting!"

"Yes, yes," Sun said impatiently. He waved a hand in front of him. "But you didn't have to push me so hard."

"Yes, I did! Now go out there and make us proud! It's your time to shine!"

"Got it!" Sun called back. He then looked at Lillie who was patiently waiting the whole time. "Sorry about that. I'm ready to go." She gave him a grin. Truth to be told, she didn't mind watching the interactions between her new friend and his mother. It was nice to see that not everybody had the same issues with their mother as her. Lillie's smile faded slightly at that thought but she quickly shook it away before hopefully Sun noticed.

"Then I'll show you to the Pokémon Research Lab." The two children began walking down the slope towards their destination. Yet Nova had to say one more thing before her son disappeared for what might be a long while to partake his significant Pokémon journey:

"Good-bye, Sun! And good luck! Make sure you call your father and me every once in a while!"

"Yes, Mom!" Sun shouted back. "I'll try and visit too!" He raised a hand in farewell and continued to wave good-bye even though he stopped looking in her direction. Nova smiled one last time before retreating back into the comforts of her house. She needed to tell her husband of today's grand events. Once Sun deemed that he had waved goodbye enough, he dropped his arm and sped his pace slightly to walk alongside Lillie down the slope. They took only three steps before Lillie stopped to still her wiggling bag.

"Come on, Nebby. You can't go out yet," Lillie muttered to the bag. The strange Pokémon protested with a sharp "pew!"

Sun looked from the bag to the girl. "Why not let the little guy out? There's nobody really in sight at the moment." He honestly could only guess that there was something special about Nebby that would make Lillie fearful of showing others the Pokémon. He wondered what the little creature could do to warrant such secrecy. Perhaps he could ask Lillie about it later, if she would even elect to tell him.

"I would love to, but we'll be going through the tall grass here to the professor's lab and there are Pokémon trainers everywhere. This is the only way to get to his place," the girl added.

"I see…" Then the full impact of Lillie's statement hit Sun. His smile twitched slightly on its left as he crossed his arms with his head tilted to the side. "I'm assuming you don't have any Pokémon other than Nebby. So how did _you_ get through?" Lillie smiled at the question, hearing some note of concern underneath.

"I've got plenty of repels to help me with that." At the sound of that specific word, Cloud shuffled noticeably. Sun quickly calmed down his pikachu with a soft touch. Yet his own smile moved slightly. He told himself that if the girl dared use one of those revolting things, he would join the other wild Pokémon in their escape and there wouldn't be anything Lillie could do to bring him back until the smell dispelled. Her smile faded slightly when a thought struck her. "Although…understandably Nebby doesn't like the smell of it. Since you're here, is it all right if…?"

"Of course," Sun said. He chuckled to himself, a sound that had the slightest tone of relief if one listened closely. "Besides, like Pokémon, I somehow find that smell nauseating." That statement had Lillie confused.

"Really? But it's not supposed to have an effects on people."

"I know. I still don't like it though. So as long as you don't use those things, I would be glad to be your escort again."

A firm line of determination set on Lillie's face. "Of course. I wouldn't want you to be uncomfortable." That made Sun's smile widen.

"Thank you for your consideration. Let's get going then." The two kids started forward into the grass. Both were careful where they placed their feet, the long grass making their traverse a bit more slow-going than empty ground. Wild Pokémon were less prone to attacking people if they didn't bother the creatures. They walked for a little while longer until Sun held up a hand to stop Lillie. When the girl looked a question, the boy pointed to another girl racing towards them. Sun already knew what was about to transpire and sighed quietly in annoyance, his expression unchanging.

"Hey! I know you! You're the new kid who beat Hau!" the girl shouted once she came near. She tossed a pokeball into the air before catching it as it fell back down. "Let's battle!"

"…why not?" Sun shrugged as he unclipped a pokeball from his belt. It was on the tip of his tongue to refuse, but that would have been extremely rude. His mother had taught him that should anybody ask for a battle, he should comply. Besides, it was a good way to gain experience. Sun was well-aware that battling trainers reaped more experience than battling wild Pokémon. Despite the friendliness of the islands so far, Sun would rather have a strong team of Pokémon to back him up when exploring an area even unknown to his mother.

Those reasons didn't lessen his annoyance though. Sun looked at Lillie with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Lillie. I'll try not to take too long." Before he could even finish his sentence, Lillie was already shaking her head.

"It's fine. Take all the time you need."

Sun simply smiled at that before facing his opponent. He tossed the pokeball into the air with the words, "Blue Doll, come out."

"Let's go, Wingull!" the girl responded with her own throw. Lillie tightened her grip on her bag as the familiar churning returned to her stomach whenever she watched a battle. Although she understood that most Pokémon lived for battles, she couldn't help but feel fearful for each Pokémon's condition during each fight. Battles might be great for the Pokémon overall but the possible injuries they could sustain always made Lillie wince. It was a bit ironic that she didn't like to watch Pokémon battles, considering how she was the assistant to the Pokémon professor researching Pokémon moves.

Just as the two trainers began calling out their first command, she felt Nebby move again. Lillie's eyes flickered down to check on the little Pokémon. She saw one of Nebby's limbs sticking out and she worked to put it back as comfortably as she could manage. Once that was done, Lillie looked back up again. Surprise colored her face when she noticed the red beam strike the girl's wingull to call it back while Sun wiped down his popplio. Did…did the battle end that quickly? She was quite sure that it didn't take her too long to ensure that Nebby didn't float off. She wondered how that was possible as the girl started to walk past them. Sun patted Blue Doll on the head and scratched his chin once more before returning him into his pokeball and straightening up. The boy extended a hand towards his opponent. While his opponent accepted the sportsman gesture, Lillie thought she saw a slightly bitter light in the girl's eyes. The trainer then abruptly left the pair without so much as a farewell. Despite that Sun waved his own good-bye, although Cloud knew that that gesture was more mocking than friendly. The pikachu shook his head at his trainer's behavior with a sigh.

"Well! I'm glad that didn't take too long," Sun said with his smile twitching slightly on the right. He patted Cloud's head, earning a squeak of agreement. Then he turned to Lillie, his smile widening a bit. "Shall we continue then?"

"Wait, what happened?" Lillie asked in a slightly fearful tone. "Is the battle really over?" Sun and Cloud exchanged a slightly amused look before turning their attention back to Lillie. They both nodded in confirmation. The girl stood stunned. It took her a moment to find her voice again. "But that was so quick!" Lillie protested. "I've never known a battle ending in a few seconds!"

"But you don't like watching battles, so you couldn't have seen _too_ many battles," Sun said as he tapped a finger to his chin and looked at the sky. His smile remained but the air around him suddenly turned cold as his eyes looked at Lillie slyly from their corners. "Am I right?"

"Um…yes, but…"

"Battles could end quickly, you know. It's not common, but it is possible. One trainer just has to use the right moves."

"I suppose that makes sense…" Yet the tone in Lillie's voice told Sun that she still wasn't entirely convinced. The boy shrugged mentally. Judging from her question, he believed that she had missed basically the entire battle. Truthfully he was glad for that. If Lillie didn't like to watch Pokémon battles, better to make every battle on this trip quick.

"If anything, you could ask Professor Kukui about it," Sun hinted. That seemed to snap Lillie out of her reverie.

"Oh, of course. We should be on our way then."

Sun's smile twitched on its right in amusement before he began walking down the road with Lillie by his side again. Despite his trainer's expression barely changing, Cloud knew exactly what he was thinking. If every trainer on this route was like the first they encountered, then every battle they have would be quick. Though the pikachu was by no means as arrogant as the boy, even he had to admit that the beginnings of the journey would be far too simple to the point that Cloud might not see some action until much later in their journey. Yet when that time came, he would indeed be ready for whatever came their way. Perhaps by then, his teammates would reach the level he was currently now. Cloud made a mental note to train himself whenever he could.

The trainer and pikachu's prediction turned out to be correct. Two more trainers challenged them, and two more times Sun defeated them easily with Blue Doll. Similarly to the first battle, Sun tidied Blue Doll up afterwards, showering the popplio with so much affection. He only offered the sportsman hand to his opponents once he finished caring for his Pokémon. This time though Lillie watched carefully. Her eyes widened both times Sun's popplio knocked out the opposing Pokémon as if they were nothing. She didn't remember Blue Doll being this powerful during the festival. Did Sun manage to train Blue Doll to this level already shortly after the festival? When she asked him that question, he simply shrugged. His answer of "just fought against some wild Pokémon" did not satisfy Lillie at all. She also knew that gaining experience was easier through trainer battles than wild battles. Was it possible that Sun had been holding back against Hau? Or maybe Hau was better than the trainers here on the route? Lillie wasn't sure. Either way, her initial unease from when she met him returned, much to her dismay.

There was something about Sun that made her want to run away from him in fear, something she couldn't explain. Yet for some reason nobody else seemed to share the same sensation. Not Professor Kukui, Hau, or even Kahuna Hala. They all seemed to be reassured by his carefree attitude and bright smile. Perhaps she would have felt the same way about Sun if she hadn't seen him attempt to capture Tapu Koko at the bridge. She had to wonder though if anybody else had the same thought as her whenever they saw Sun:

_Has he ever stopped smiling?_

Perhaps Sun's constant grin was part of the reason why he made Lillie nervous. It moved from time to time but the boy never dropped it in her sight. Pondering the matter further, Lillie had a sinking suspicion that only in the worst situations would her new friend stop smiling. That would not bode well for anybody in the nearby vicinity, even if they happened to be on Sun's side.

As she thought about Sun and his powerful popplio, Lillie remembered something she'd been wanting to ask her new friend after he and his mother left. Although it shouldn't been seen as her business, she felt a small sense of responsibility for it, despite what Sun might think. Lillie opened her mouth for her question but a small voice made her hesitate. From what she observed of Sun, if she asked what was on her mind, the probability of the discussion not turning out well skyrocketed. Perhaps it would be better to leave things as they were.

With that thought she sealed her lips and prevented her question from being answered. However the girl thought about the subject of her inquiry and felt that the matter had to be raised for his sake. Lillie steeled herself for what might come. She reached into her bag and touched Nebby for reassurance. The girl also felt a can of Pokémon repel. Although her logic told her that Sun was not a violent person, her anxiety persuaded her to be on her guard. She stopped in her tracks, prompting Sun to also stop when he realized he heard only one, traversing pair of shoes. The boy and his pikachu looked back at her curiously. Seeing as she got their attention, Lillie gathered her thoughts before plunging forward:

"I was just wondering…are you still battling with Gaffe?"

Almost immediately, despite the usual warmth offered by the sun, the air around them chilled Lillie to the bone. She had no idea that that was even possible in Alola's natural climate. The girl visibly shivered as Sun's smile twitched slightly. With an anxious expression, Cloud shifted on Sun's shoulder, and even Nebby let out a nervous cry as it rustled in the bag.

"…eventually," the boy responded rather calmly despite the menacing air around him. He looked away from her and sighed dramatically. "You remember how he acted during the festival. I can't have my Pokémon disobeying me like that in the middle of a battle. So I'm…giving him some time to cool off before using him in battle again."

"O-oh…I see…" For some reason, Lillie didn't like the sound of that. She dropped her eyes from Sun's gaze. However, he must have seen the apprehensive look in her eyes because his namesake seemed to melt the icy atmosphere that had enclosed them.

Lillie looked up in surprise when Sun chuckled lightly, the sound helping to ease the tension somewhat. Curious, emerald eyes met mischievous, steely orbs. "Don't worry, Lillie. I promised you that everything would just be fine with Gaffe. And I always keep my promises."

"Pika pi." Cloud nodded in agreement. Lillie looked from the boy to his pikachu. Cloud smiled reassuringly to her, making her smile in return.

"Okay then…" Although the doubt was still there, Lillie felt a bit better. Not just from Cloud's extra comfort but also from Sun's reassertion of his promise. She might be slightly fearful of her friend but her instincts also told her that he could, and should, be trusted. The same something that told her to be wary of him also told her that despite all that, Sun was true to his friends. She could already see it in the way he interacted with his Pokémon (most of them).

"Okay, now it's my turn to ask a question!" Sun said happily, surprising Lillie. He clasped his hands behind his back as he looked at her with bright eyes, his smile twitching slightly on its left. "Can you tell me about Nebby?"

Lillie actually stepped back a pace in shock at the abrupt question. She instinctively held onto her bag and shielded it away from Sun. A surprised "pew!" could be heard from that action. Both Sun and Cloud tilted their heads to the side in curiosity at Lillie's sudden jumpiness. They saw an apologetic look cross the girl's face as she forced herself to relax. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "It's just a force of habit." She was about to continue when Sun swiftly held up a hand to stop her.

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable. If you don't want to talk about it, then we won't."

"No, it's fine. I can tell you," Lillie insisted. "Nebby's…actually a cosmog. It seems to be a very rare Pokémon that came from far, far away and has a very strange power…It used that power to save me once when I was in danger." The girl's face contorted as unpleasant memories resurfaced. "But some…other people want cosmog for themselves, to use that power. That's why only the professor and Kahuna Hala and other people I can trust know about it…"

"And you trust me?"

"Yes, I do."

"But you're also suspicious of me." Sun's smile twitched on its right side as he said that.

Lillie blinked in surprise at that statement. Out of all the things her new friend could have said, she wasn't expecting that. She stuttered, "I…"

"Heh. There's no need to lie, Lillie. I know you feel a bit uneasy with me. " Sun scratched Cloud's chin. The pikachu squeaked in appreciation. "The people who do usually know what's up."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, now _that_ is a secret," the Pokémon trainer chuckled as he slyly placed a finger to his lips. Before Lillie could respond to that answer, Sun already turned back to the road. "Come on. I think we've kept Professor Kukui waiting long enough." It was obvious that he closed the conversation with that statement. The two children wasted no more time smelling the roses. Thankfully they didn't run into anymore trainers. They did run into one yungoos but after Sun used Blue Doll to dispose of the pest, it seemed as if the other wild Pokémon steered clear of the area. Lillie wondered whether they witnessed the swift battle between the popplio and yungoos. Perhaps they saw what Lillie saw, an unrelenting power emitting from Sun and his Pokémon. It was possible as Pokémon had far more developed senses than humans. They could sense that maybe something wasn't well with this boy, something was very different from the other trainers they usually fought with.

Soon the two children reached the beach where the professor's rugged shack stood. As they moved closer to the door, the whole place seemed to shake and groan as the obvious sounds of a Pokémon attacking reached their ears. Right after that, they heard an all too familiar voice:

"Oh yeah, Rockruff! Let's go! Give it everything you've got! My body is ready. Woo!"

"Ahh…There they go again…practicing some moves," Lillie muttered just loud enough for Sun to hear. "Hopefully they won't tear down the building this time. Although it's a bit on the worn side, the Pokémon Research Lab still has its own unique charm." The girl looked at her friend, who nodded in agreement.

"That it does." His quick eyes scanned the place over. He could make out the random boards nailed to various parts of the house. At some of those specific spots, Sun saw the jagged wood of a broken board. He had to wonder to himself why Professor Kukui would even practice Pokémon moves in the place he rested. After all, he had a great beach right underneath his house where he could practice without becoming homeless in a millisecond of a powerful attack. Sun shook his head after that thought. He simply concluded that he would never be able to understand that man nor did he care enough to spend energy exploring. Lillie's voice brought him back to the present:

"I've actually been, um, imposing on the professor here for the past three months. I'm not much of an assistant, but it's the least I can do to pay him back for letting me stay. Maybe I'd be more help if I were a real Pokémon Trainer, too…" Speaking her mind, Lillie didn't realize that Sun had moved slightly closer to her. She jumped a bit at something gentle landing on her shoulder before turning to see reassuring eyes gaze into her own. While Sun's smile didn't change physically, something about it just made it seem a bit warmer, a bit friendlier.

"You're doing a great job, Pokémon Trainer or no Pokémon Trainer," Sun comforted her. With him smiling like that, Lillie couldn't help but smile back.

"I suppose so…"

Sun shook her shoulder slightly. "You should know so." He then swept his arm forward, beckoning Lillie to walk before him like a true gentleman. "Ladies first, before he does any more damage."

As if on cue, the rockruff inside growled loudly, "Raaaa-ooooohhh! Raff ruff!"

"You're right," Lillie giggled as she walked up the stairs across the porch. "I don't want to try and mend his lab coat. I'm no good at things like that." The girl turned the doorknob to emit them in. As one would do in a stranger's house, Sun and Cloud immediately began to scan the room. The place was nice enough with a TV coupled with couches on the right and a water tank with luvdisc swimming here in the front. When Sun noticed the stairs leading down to the basement, he had to raise an eyebrow at that. He didn't expect of all houses this one would have a basement considering its rather shaking foundation. Still he wasn't living here so it wasn't his decision.

Professor Kukui was laughing as the two children and Pokémon came in. Two pink Pokémon, one Sun recognized to be a snubbull, peered from the living room to see their guests. They recognized Lillie once she walked in, and they hurried over to greet her. Sun and Cloud watched in amusement at the girl trying to keep her balance as the two Pokémon ran around her feet excitedly. The commotion seemed to have drawn Kukui's attention because he glanced up from his rockruff with a huge smile on his face.

"Hey there, Sun! Thanks for getting him for me, Lillie!"

"Of course. However I can be a help…I am supposed to be your assistant, right?" the girl replied with a smile on her face.

Sun then asked, "So what were you doing, Professor? From what I heard outside, you were having quite a lot of _fun_ with Rockruff." The boy grinned easily. If the other two people in the room heard the sly tone in his voice, they didn't show it. Rather, Professor Kukui just laughed.

"Rockruff's moves were just so stylin', and I was making good progress with my research. Just couldn't contain myself."

"Ah, I see. So what is it that you called me for, Professor? I was just start about to explore the island." If it had been anybody else, they might have asked the professor to share some more details about his work, just to be polite. However Sun was itching to be on the road now. He wanted to get started on his Island Trial right away.

The older man laughed, "That excited to start, yeah! Then lemme see your Pokedex just for a second, yeah?" Professor Kukui held out his hand for the device. Sun immediately complied. At that point, the two pink Pokémon stared curiously at the unfamiliar person. Cloud jumped from his trainer's shoulder to squeak a greeting. Soon the three Pokémon were chasing each other around in a small game of tag. Sun and Lillie watched them briefly before realizing that a fourth Pokémon, Nebby, had actually joined them. Out of instinct, the girl was about to call the cosmog back into her bag but she restrained herself just in time. Sun's smile twitched on its right when he saw Lillie pursed her lips together. Then the professor caught his attention again with a curious statement, "You know that there's been a rotom in your pokedex, right, Sun?"

The trainer looked at him, an eyebrow raised. "Really? Why wasn't I made aware of this fact when you first gave it to me?" The tiniest amount of annoyance crept into his voice, and Professor Kukui probably didn't hear it because he laughed jovially without a care in the world.

"It was a surprise! You know Rotom, right?"

"It's an electric-ghost type Pokémon from the Sinnoh region that likes to reside in machines."

"That's right! And to put that crazy skill of Rotom's to work, we made this pokedex. It's the next generation of pokedexes, but it's only complete once Rotom has gone into it. A whole new way for Pokémon and people to communicate. Woo! And there's only a few of these beauties out in the world so far!"

"Then I'm extremely lucky trainer, aren't I?" Sun's smile widened.

"Hahaha, oh yeah! Now if I power up your pokedex with the parts that I just got in…" Kukui turned around and quickly went to work. Sun thought it a bit odd considering how he didn't think the man would hide his work like that. Yet he didn't ponder on it too much. He and Lillie waited patiently until they heard a strange "kzzzt!" sound. In a flash, said Pokémon appeared before them with a large smile. The four Pokémon who were playing in the living room noticed and came right over.

"Pika! Pika pi!" Cloud squeaked a greeting to the floating newcomer. It looked at the pikachu, and the electric mouse was oddly reminded of his trainer. It must have been the smile the rotom had.

"Kzzzt!" Rotom replied.

"Hey now! Sorry 'bout that, Rotom. Guess I surprised you, huh?" Kukui apologized. "But here, boy! I powered up your favorite 'dex! Give Sun here a Helping Hand, yeah?" The rotom seemed to ponder that request for a short moment before nodding in response. With a loud zap, it zoomed right back into the pokedex. Kukui then resumed his upgrading. Before long he stopped. Sun blinked in surprise when he saw his pokedex, now possessed by the rotom and had arms, fly around. It then landed in front of him, and Sun could see the rotom's face on the screen of the pokedex. Its own smile reflected on Sun's face.

"Zzzzzrrt! Nize to meet you, pal! Gentle on the goodz, OK?"

"Hello, Dexter," Sun named the rotom. "Welcome to the team!"

"Zzzzt zzzt! Glad to hear that, Governor!"

"See, Sun? Now Rotom can talk right to you!" Kukui chuckled. "And from what I can tell it looks like it has taken a liking to you!"

"That's Dexter to you, Profezzor!" Dexter flew in front of the professor's face to emphasize its point. That caused the man to laugh again.

"All right! Dexter it is then!"

"How will this help Sun?" Lillie asked, her curiosity peaked.

Professor Kukui looked at her seriously. "Sun hasn't been here in Alola too long yet. Not only would Ro-I mean, Dexter, register every Pokémon Sun meets, it could also help him navigate with its installed town map."

Ah, there it was, one of the most important things a Pokémon trainer could have. Sun had to admit that this was extremely convenient for him. Most likely Dexter would hang around outside like Cloud unless the rotom wanted to go to sleep. The trainer wouldn't have to go through the trouble of unrolling a paper and study it to get his bearings. Dexter would simply float in front of him and let him check where to go next. "Thank you very much for this, Professor Kukui." Sun thanked sincerely.

"Yeah, thankz, Profezzor!" Dexter echoed.

"No problem. You guys look after each other, yeah?" Kukui nodded towards Cloud to include him in as well. The pikachu smiled in appreciation before climbing back up on Sun's shoulder. Dexter became curious about the electric mouse and floated over to examine him a bit more. Cloud held out a paw and squeaked a greeting. Before they could get further, Professor Kukui continued, "Since you're starting your island challenge, there are some important things you need to know about it. It's your chance to become the strongest trainer around—the island challenge champion, woo! There are four main islands that make up Alola, and a kahuna for each one of them. You have to clear seven trials before the kahunas see you worthy of that title.

"It's a great adventure for you and your Pokémon to go on together! I want you and your Pokémon to get out there and give it a shot! You were able to fully use your Pokémon's moves in your very first battle. I think you must have a talent for drawing out Pokémon's strengths, yeah. As someone who's dedicated my life to studying Pokémon moves, I really want to see you out there meeting all kinds of Pokémon on your island challenge!"

Sun's smile twitched on its right side at the professor's enthusiasm. Even if he didn't say that, Sun would have tried out the island challenge anyways. It didn't look like there were the usual gyms that were so common in the other regions. Using the word "trial" for it also put in Sun's mind something entirely different from normal gym battles. They hinted that he would have to prove himself, which he was confident that he would have no trouble doing. "You can count on me, Professor."

"That's what I'm talking about, woo! It'd be great if you also stop by the Trainers' School! They'll offer you all kinds of advice on the basics of being a Pokémon trainer through Pokémon battling. It's a long road to becoming the island challenge champion, and the Trainers' School is the first step. Lillie, why don't you accompany Sun until he gets used to Dexter's map?"

"Of course. Ready to go, Sun?"

"Ready whenever my Pokémon are."

"Pika!"

"Letz get thiz show on the road!"

Sun's smile widened at his Pokémon's eagerness. He looked at his friend, and Lillie could have sworn that at that moment, Sun lived up to his namesake. "Then let's get going then!" They quickly said their good-byes to Professor Kukui before retracing their steps back up the hill. Their trek took a little less than half the time it took them to get to the lab due to them having encountered only a slowpoke and another yungoos, both wild Pokémon being easily defeated by Blue Doll. Dexter squealed in delight at seeing those Pokemon. Right after Sun finished his battles, the rotom flew towards him to show off the data it collected:

_Slowpoke, the dopey Pokémon. Its long tails often breaks off. There's no pain involved, another tail grows back, and Alolan home cooking has dried slowpoke tails simmered into a salty stew._

_Yungoos, the loitering Pokémon. It did not originally live in Alola but was imported from another region. It wanders around in a never-ending search for food, only falling asleep where it stands once dusk falls._

"Great job, Dexter," Sun praised. The rotom glowed with pride at that. It excitedly floated around them, zipping off rapid comments that its trainer answered to. Cloud also gave his opinions on those matters, and it was obvious that Dexter respected the pikachu. They became fast friends, something that their common typing of Electric might have contributed to. Sun would try to get Lillie to join in on their conversations to not leave her out. They soon passed Sun's home, pausing to let the moment last for a bit. When Sun hurried them along, Lillie questioned why he didn't go visit his mom.

"Because she would tease me about homesickness causing me to return so soon," Sun had replied. "I'd rather not. Not until I make her really miss me."

The next stop they got to was the Pokémon center in Hau'oli City. They just arrived there when Lillie asked if Sun was going to heal up his Pokémon. He answered yes immediately and both entered the building. The young trainer was a bit surprised to see how huge the building was. He then realized after a look around that not only did the Pokémon Center contain the hospital itself, it also accommodated a pokemart and a café. It was almost like a mini shopping center. Sun was pretty impressed as he was used to having the Pokémon center separated from the pokemart.

"I'll be over there," Lillie said quietly, pointing over to the café. Sun nodded.

"I won't take long." With Dexter flickering back and forth behind his back, Sun strolled over to the counter. Thankfully, nobody seemed to have gotten into reckless battles recently as no line formed. The nurse smiled at the boy as he placed his two pokeballs on the countertop. Cloud, on the other hand, gave Sun a slightly confused look when the boy placed him there as well. "Could you please examine my Pokémon?"

"Pika?"

"Just to make you're in top shape, Cloud. Who knows what might happen?"

"Chu…"

"Of course. I assume you're starting your first trial?"

"Yup. But I have to go to the Trainers' School first."

"Oh, to improve your battling? Good luck, both at the school and your trial!"

"Thanks." _Although I seriously do not need it at all_. But Sun kept that thought to himself. Instead, he peeled himself away from the center to head over to the café. He saw Lillie sitting at a table with a frosty glass of something creamy. Another glass stood waiting. Judging by the liquid, Sun could only guess that it was Moomoo milk. However he knew there was a possible chance of being wrong. Alola was different from both Johto and Kanto in many ways. The availability of types of drinks could very well be one of those ways. The girl waved her friend over.

"I wasn't sure what you wanted, so I just got you what I like. I hope you don't mind Moomoo milk," Lillie said once Sun arrived. His smile widened as he sat down in the empty chair.

"Not at all," he replied. He took the glass and tasted the drink. Mhmm, he never had Moomoo milk like this before. It was much different from the usual liquid he was so used to back at home. He could get used to the way it was made here.

"There are cafés like this in every Pokémon center. I read in a tourist guide that each café serves a different selection of drinks. I think it would be fun to try out all the different flavors they offer."

"That does sound like fun," Sun agreed.

"Az long az they have zomething electric-friendly!" Dexter giggled.

They continued to chat with each other about general topics on Pokémon, Lillie giving Sun some poke beans to feed his Pokémon. Dexter attempted to steal another one after Sun already gave it one. However the trainer was well aware of what his rotom might do and slapped the pokedex's hand away. He chuckled jokingly at Dexter's whining before apologizing with the bean it wanted to steal. While Sun placated a scolding Lillie on his seemingly-cruel behavior, the same nurse who took his Pokémon walked over with Cloud riding her shoulder.

"Your Pokemon are all healed up, young man. And your pikachu is in tip-top shape as well!"

"Oh, thank you very much." Sun stood to accept his pokeballs back. Cloud quickly made his way back onto Sun's shoulder, nuzzling the boy's cheek with his own. A small jolt of electricity went through Sun's body as he clipped his pokeballs onto his belt. The small group waved good-bye to the nurse, allowing her to return to her duties.

"Welcome back, Cloud!" Dexter grinned.

"Pikachu," Cloud responded with a nod. Sun's grin widened as he scratched his starter's chin. The electric mouse squeaked in delight at the affectionate gesture. The trainer also gave him a yellow poke bean. Although Cloud initially hesitated at the sight and smell of an unfamiliar food, he swiftly scarfed it down after the first lick. Although it didn't compare to the malasada Sun bought during the festival, it was still very delicious. "Pik pi."

"You're welcome. Ready to get going?" Sun asked Lillie.

The girl nodded and stood from her chair. "The Trainers' School isn't far from here."

"Lead the way."

The two children left their glasses on the table and exited the building. Some people entered while they exited while others joined them in leaving. Sun and Lillie walked down the street towards their destination. As they walked, Sun noticed how Lillie held onto her bag nonstop. She would flinch sometimes when she saw somebody get a bit too close to her. That had Sun's head racing for any possible reason Lillie had to be so jumpy. Perhaps the girl knew more about Nebby's power than she let on. Yet Sun quickly waved this small theory away, Lillie wasn't that type of person. Even if she wanted to lie, she would give any sharp eyes a good physical reaction to know that the girl was indeed lying. She was just probably worried for Nebby's life. As a result, Sun casually made his way to shelter his friend from the strangers walking all around them. Once again the bag sandwiched between the two kids, preventing anybody from grabbing it easily. Cloud and Dexter also helped with Cloud keeping a lookout on Sun's shoulder closest to Lillie and Dexter floating just behind the bag.

At one point, the rotom actually attempted to scan Nebby for any possible information. However it became puzzled when it came up with nothing at all on the little guy. When Dexter whispered that to Sun while Lillie wasn't looking, the trainer nodded thoughtfully. He had hoped that perhaps Dexter might have found something about the strange Pokémon, but that didn't seem to be the case. Sun was fine with it though. He had a suspicion that they would learn more about the cosmog eventually. Time had a way of providing answers for them, his mother taught him.

The group soon arrived to their destination. Sun looked it over quickly, noting the giant wall fencing the school courtyard. That was a good thing as practicing Pokémon moves willy-nilly could result in destroyed towns. As if in some unspoken agreement, they stopped just before entering the gates. Lillie turned to Sun.

"Are you ready to go in?"

Sun looked at the building for a moment longer. He then looked at Cloud and Dexter, their expressions mirroring his own. The young trainer faced forward again with a hand on his cap's bill. "They won't know what hit them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. I think it's pretty obvious who the people in the portrait are. All of them are going to make an appearance eventually. One would appear much earlier than the others considering his relationship to Sun. I think his appearance would remind you of a little (of a lot) of somebody somebody.
> 
> 2\. Sun not liking the smell of the Pokémon repel is both a reference to his strange nature and my younger self not utilizing those important items to the fullest. As a result, I constantly cursed through every cave I went through in my younger days of playing Pokémon. All because I never used repels.
> 
> 3\. Sun cleaning up his Pokémon and only offering the sportsmanship handshake afterwards refers to how you have the option of Refreshing your Pokémon after every battle sometimes. Not only that, you have the option of doing it for your entire team. And you can do it for as long as you like. And the NPCs have no choice but to stand there and watch you shower your Pokémon with love. Obviously, this is going to happen constantly throughout the story, which would obviously annoy a great deal of people.
> 
> 4\. Sun's rotom named Dexter is a callback to how Ash used to call his pokedex Dexter in the first season (not sure if he did it in any other season). I always liked how Dexter indirectly insulted Ash in the first episode. Even Pikachu initially agreed with it.
> 
> 5\. Didn't I tell you guys that I would break my updating around the holidays? I missed both Saint Patrick's Day and Easter for March and April, respectively. Oh well. So long as I update, right guys? Right? ...


	5. Trouble Meeting You

The moment they walked past the school's gates, a large shout greeted them, "Hey, Sun! Lillie!" The two children exchanged a curious look before looking towards the school. They were both surprised to see Professor Kukui waving at them. A young woman wearing a white, polo shirt with tan pants and glasses stood next to him. An air of professionalism surrounded her, making Sun surmise that perhaps she was a teacher. After all, they were at a school. He snapped out of his thoughts as he followed after Lillie towards the professor.

Lillie asked in a surprised tone, "Professor! How did you get here before us?"

"Yeah. Last we saw you, you were still studying Rockruff's stylin' moves," Sun chuckled cheerfully. The professor joined in with his own laughter.

"I must have passed you two somehow. But that doesn't matter! Welcome to the Trainers' School, the place to learn how to be a Pokémon Trainer!" Professor Kukui waved his arm with a slight flourish, drawing Sun and Lillie's attention to the large building before them. Sun studied the place with interest, noting its height of three stories. Courts with distinct white marks outlining battle boxes surrounded the school. Even a couple of grasses where wild Pokémon ran grew in the schoolyard. Overall it seemed like a comfortable place for an aspiring trainer to study how to be the very best. Not that Sun needed it. He felt that it would be much better for him to learn on the job. After all, that's what his parents and their friends and many others did.

Sun snapped out of his analytical thinking just in time to hear the teacher ask Professor Kukui, "Is this the child you told me about?"

"Yeah. Put him through the wringer, Teach!"

"Hello, I'm Teacher Emily," the lady introduced herself. She extended a hand, which Sun took and shook firmly.

"I'm Sun."

"Professor Kukui complimented on your skills, and I wanted to see it for myself. I would appreciate it if you battle four of my students. I'm certain the experience would do you good."

The right side of Sun's mouth twitched. Cloud could immediately tell that his trainer was about to say something pretty insulting. However, like all the other times, there was nothing the pikachu could do about it. Hopefully the teacher wouldn't be too offended. "Are you sure about that? I wouldn't want to…dishearten your students in any way." At those words, Professor Kukui laughed.

"She may not look all that tough, but Emily trains her kids right! One of her students is even a trial captain!"

Sun raised a slight eyebrow at that. One of her students is in charge of a trial, huh? He wondered if that particular student would also be battling him. If so, then perhaps this trip to the school wouldn't be a complete waste of time after all. The boy turned his smile on the teacher, who was smiling proudly herself. Sun unclipped a pokeball from his belt and easily tossed it into the air. "Then I should accept your challenge then, huh? After all, the experience would do me good," he parroted.

"Great!" Emily clapped her hands together. The sparkle in her eyes told Sun that she understood how the boy believed him to be better than her students yet she was determined to prove him wrong. She pointed over to one of the battle courts. "I'll meet you over there shortly with my students." With that the woman walked into the building. Meanwhile Sun, Lillie, and Kukui made their way over to where the teacher pointed. As they walked, Lillie quickened her pace to walk alongside Sun. Once she was close enough she whispered:

"Are you sure about this, Sun? Professor Kukui doesn't lie about a trainer's capabilities."

"Of course I'm sure," Sun replied as he got into position in the far box away from the school. "Don't watch if you don't want to." Despite the sickening sensation in her stomach, Lillie smiled at her friend to show how much she appreciated his concern with her.

"Don't worry about me. I should be fine. If anything, I can always look away."

"Hehe, be careful when you look away then. Otherwise, you won't see Nebby leaving your bag," the boy chuckled as he pointed to the side of her. Lillie's eyes widened as she immediately looked to where Sun directed. Sure enough, the mysterious Pokémon floated right next to a smiling Professor Kukui, cheering while waving its clouds in the air.

Lillie gasped just a bit as she rushed over to her companion. "Get back in the bag, Nebby! You know you shouldn't be wandering around like this! What if somebody saw you?"

"Don't worry, Lillie," the professor said as he ushered the little creature comfortably into Lillie's bag. Even so, Nebby squeaked in slight protest at having his freedom taken away so quickly. At least Kukui left the zipper open so it could watch Sun battle like it had initially wanted. "There's nobody around, so it couldn't have been spotted." Lillie looked into her bag uncertainly. She wanted to believe what the professor told her. However she couldn't help but feel that maybe, just maybe, somebody saw Nebby floating next to her benefactor. She glanced around them, yet nobody was in the vicinity. Lillie unconsciously let out a sigh of relief. Still, maybe that same somebody ran off before they could see them. The girl hoped that wasn't the case.

A sudden movement at the door of the school caught Lillie's attention. She saw how Sun also looked at the approaching group of Teacher Emily and her students carefully. Even his Pokémon seemed to be measuring their soon-to-be opponents. Dexter floated right next to Cloud, electrical zaps sparking from it.

"Eh! Thoze ztudentz don't look zo tough! Battle 'em hard and beat 'em zcared, Governor!" the rotom cheered. Cloud added his own cheer with his little paw, balled in a fist, pumped into the air. Sun giggled at his Pokémon's enthusiasm before glancing back at the group. He was slightly disappointed to see that the trial captain was not among them. He didn't know how he knew. Perhaps it was instinct that told him there was no air of a confidence befitting a high-ranking trainer. He mentally shrugged. Sun had hoped to have a chance to battle the trial captain. Unfortunately that didn't seem to be the case, and he couldn't back out on his word now.

Soon enough, the group stood before Sun. They looked at him curiously, the question whether he was to be their opponent clear in their eyes. Sun knew that they were sizing him up the same way he sized them up. However he barely cared about what they thought of him. "These are my students, Hiromi, Mia, Joey, and Joseph." Emily introduced each student in turn. While the first three waved and smiled at Sun, the last one, Joseph, simply looked at him with a superior grin. "Students, this is Sun, whom Professor Kukui told us about."

"It's very nice to meet you guys. Perhaps you could teach me something in our battles today," Sun said, not at all dropping his smile. While one might take this as a statement of humbleness from the boy, Cloud knew better. His trainer was taunting the other trainers to show him what they got. His opponents exchanged knowing grins before one of them stepped forward.

"Then I'll be your first opponent, if that's okay," Hiromi said. Sun noted with some approval that she already held her pokeball ready in her hand. He nodded his agreement. Emily ushered her other students to stand with Professor Kukui and Lillie, leaving the two battlers to face each other. Sun rolled the pokeball he had in his hands. However, before he could throw it to call out his chosen Pokémon, Professor Kukui called out to him, or rather, the machine next to him:

"Dexter, could you come over here? It wouldn't be fair for you to be with Sun and giving him advice during the battle."

At that, the rotom visibly pouted. The sight of it made the two youngest students giggle. Even Emily couldn't help but smile at Dexter's expression. "But I want to ztay here! And why don't you call Cloud over too?"

"Because I might use Cloud in this battle," Sun lied. "But Professor Kukui does raise a good point. Who knows what kind of secrets you could tell me about my opponent's Pokémon? That wouldn't be fair at all. I promise though, you'll be able to do that in the future," the boy whispered the last part to Dexter. The rotom still pouted but acknowledged its trainer's statement. It would be way too easy for it to scan Hiromi's Pokémon and relay the information to Sun. Still, one of the reasons why it wanted stay there was to observe its new trainer at closer quarters. Perhaps in the future it would be able to do that as Sun promised. For now though, Dextor would float over to be sandwiched between Lillie and Kukui. Lillie's bag was also underneath the rotom, so it could interact with Nebby if it wanted to. Dexter greeted the cosmog with a "zzt!" Nebby responded with its own "pew!"

"Ready?" Hiromi called from the opposite box. Sun nodded in reply. "Okay then! Go, Pikipek!" The student threw the pokeball in the air. A flash of white, and a birdlike Pokémon flew in the air. She stayed there for a few seconds before landing gracefully on the ground. Even from this distance, Sun could hear Dexter scanning a new entry in:

_Pikipek, the woodpecker Pokémon. It can peck at a rate of 16 times a second to drill holes in trees. This Pokémon stores food and builds nests in those holes. After eating its berries, it fires its leftover seeds as ammunition from its mouth._

"Interesting," Sun muttered to himself. He had no doubt that Dexter deliberately turned up the volume so he could hear. Devious, little Pokémon. The young trainer tossed his pokeball lightly in the air. Catching it again once it fell, he threw it forward calmly. "Come out, Gaffe."

Lillie straightened up when she heard that specific name. She thought for sure that Sun would use Blue Doll instead. She watched carefully as the Alolan meowth appeared from the white. Gaffe shook his head for a moment before looking around. His smug eyes narrowed slightly when he saw his trainer. Crossing his arms, the Alolan meowth turned away with a "humph". The girl felt her heart dropping at that disdainful action. While Sun had told her that he wanted to give Gaffe some time to cool off, it didn't seem as though it worked. Lillie switched her attention back to Sun. She only saw Sun's smile twitch slightly. Other than that, his expression remained relatively unchanged. Lillie jumped a bit when she heard somebody to her left speak out.

"It doesn't look like your meowth likes you," Joseph commented. To his surprise, Sun said rather bluntly:

"He doesn't."

The student raised a disbelieving eyebrow at that statement. "Then why are you using him? He's just going to disobey you."

"Perhaps. But I made a promise. So I would be battling with Gaffe," the strange boy said firmly. Joseph thought about that for a moment before shrugging. He looked over at Hiromi.

"This should be an easy win then."

Sun's smile twitched a bit. "We'll see about that, won't we, Cloud?" he whispered to his starter.

"Pika…" Although Cloud had no doubt about Sun's capabilities to beat these students in a battle, even he worried about Gaffe's performance. After all, the only time Sun used the Alolan meowth to battle was during Tapu Koko's celebration. He truly wondered how exactly his trainer would deal with Gaffe's apparent misbehavior. The pikachu snapped out of his thoughts as the teacher stepped forward to act as the referee.

"This is a one-on-one battle between Hiromi's pikipek and Sun's meowth. The battle is over once the Pokémon from either side cannot continue. Let the battle, begin!" Emily said, raising both hands in the air to signal the battle's start.

Hiromi pointed towards Gaffe with a determined smile on her face, "Pikipek, use Peck!" The woodpecker Pokémon chirped in confirmation before flying quickly towards her opponent. Without Sun even telling him to, Gaffe jumped out of the way. He then Growled loudly at the pikipek, lowering her attack. The status move shook the little bird quite a bit as she fluttered in the air uncertainly. However her confusion soon cleared when her trainer spoke again:

"Counter with your own Growl!"

Pikipek opened its beak to return the sound, almost acting like a mirror to bounce the effects back to Gaffe. Similarly to when the move affected the pikipek, the Alolan meowth hissed in slight duress as he pawed at his ears. Gritting his teeth Gaffe charged through the sound to leap at his opponent. His long claws caught the light of the sun as he Scratched furiously at the bird. While Pikipek did her best to dodge the attack, Gaffe was simply too fast for her. She chirped in constant pain while fluttering backwards.

"Pikipek, no! Use Peck!" Hiromi tried to save her slipping chance of victory. Her Pokémon had a determined look in her eyes. She suddenly jabbed her sharp beak right at Gaffe's right paw when he left a slight opening. That told dark-type Pokémon to back off already, a warning that he quickly heeded. Gaffe leapt a good distance away to ensure no surprise attacks. He held that paw close to him with a deep glare aimed towards the pikipek and her trainer.

Emily couldn't help but frown at the battle so far. At the beginning, she thought that Sun was simply joking about Gaffe not liking him. Now, seeing how the boy hadn't even utter an entire command throughout this whole fight so far, the teacher had to question why he would use such an assumingly headstrong and disobedient Pokémon. She recalled him mentioning a promise, but what was that about? She wanted to turn to Professor Kukui to ask but as judge she had a responsibility to constantly watch the battle. If she had turned around, perhaps Emily might have noticed how tightly Lillie gripped the strap of her bag in concern.

The girl honestly feared how this battle was going to turn out. For all of Sun's big talk of beating the students easily, he wasn't delivering at all. Lillie stared at the boy with his arms crossed and that constant smile on his face. She did notice the right side of Sun's smile twitching, something she began to notice day in and out. She truly hoped that her friend would be able to win this. While it didn't look like he had a chance with his defiant Pokémon, Lillie had a feeling that somehow Sun would make it. Despite her confidence, the knot in her stomach said otherwise.

"Good job, Pikipek! Now use Echoed Voice!" the trainer demanded.

The bird Pokémon unleashed an echoing sound that made even the spectators cover their ears. If it was that bad for humans, then it was five times worse for Gaffe with his superior senses. He yowled loudly as he covered his ears again. Unlike the Growl, this move was actually quite damaging. Even he wanted to stop it with a Scratch attack, he was too far from the pikipek to strike. The only thing it seemed Gaffe could do was to wait out the attack. However when it finally ended for the enemy to take a deep breath, the Alolan meowth could only take three steps before having to cover his ears again. This time around, the move seemed to be even worse. At this rate Gaffe wouldn't be able to defeat this insolent bird Pokémon. It would be a huge blow to his pride how he couldn't win against the very prey he hunted back in his wild days.

Then came a chilly voice that somehow managed to cut through the Echoed Voice:

"Growl."

With no other options open to him, Gaffe opened his mouth to Growl once again. The attack did manage to counter the Echoed Voice somewhat, although Pikipek's sound waves still rang in the Alolan meowth's ears. The chilly voice cut through the attack again:

"Bite."

By now, Gaffe understood that it was Sun who was giving him orders. While the Alolan meowth had no intention to obey each and every command Sun wanted, he begrudgingly admitted to himself that he was impressed with how calm his supposed trainer was. This time he could afford to listen to the boy for a bit, especially with how his main paw ached from the Peck attack. Not only did the earlier Growl weaken his resolve to attack, the point of injury would also hamper his Scratch attack. If Gaffe wanted to win this particular fight, he would have to attack with Bite, which was following Sun's orders.

"Meowrr!" Gaffe screeched as he ran towards the pikipek. The normal-and-flying type hadn't expected the dark type to plow through her attack. As a result she shrieked in both shock and pain when Gaffe leapt upwards to catch her wing in his jaws. The Alolan meowth's weight proved to be too much for the bird, and she quickly descended on the ground.

"Use Peck!"

"Scratch, Gaffe," Sun countered.

Gaffe almost ignored that command. After all, the pikipek was downed by his Bite attack. He could afford to keep the bird in his jaws. However he saw the beak coming for him again, this time towards his cheek. The Alolan meowth deflected the move with his claws from his Scratch. The force of the clash jerked Pikipek's head backwards. That gave Gaffe the opportunity to Scratch at her with his uninjured paw. The pikipek gave one last chirp before she fainted. Though the swirls in her eyes should have been enough to signal her defeat, Gaffe shook the bird once just to be on the safe side. With only a weak squawk as an answer, the Alolan meowth finally released the pikipek and walked away with a smug smile on his face. However he made sure not to meet Sun's gaze.

"Pikipek is unable to battle! This battle goes to Sun and his meowth!" Emily announced as Hiromi returned her Pokémon. While Lillie gave a sigh of relief that the battle went well, Professor Kukui nodded with a grin on his face, impressed with how calm and collected Sun remained despite Gaffe doing his own thing initially. The new trainer was able to quickly turn the tide in his favor when it looked like his opponent had the upper hand. While the result of the first battle might have discouraged some trainers, Emily's students looked quite eager to test their own skills against this formidable opponent. Even Joseph began to study Gaffe intently to devise a way to beat him. One of the teacher's students was so eager to start his battle that he ran to the battle box even though Hiromi had yet to leave it.

"Let me battle next! Let me battle next!" Joey said excitedly with his pokeball in hand. The right side of Sun's smile twitched slightly as he nodded his agreement. He waved a good-natured hand in Hiromi's direction to signify a good battle overall. The girl smiled back and returned her own wave in a show of good sportsmanship.

While it might have seemed that Sun was more or less accepting the Alolan meowth on his team, Lillie couldn't help but notice that the trainer didn't clean up and shower the Pokémon with affection like he did with Blue Doll. Perhaps it was to not keep the eager youngster waiting but Lillie believed that Sun still had yet to truly form a bond with Gaffe. That seemed to prove true when the boy held out Gaffe's pokeball.

"Gaffe, return," he said. However the Alolan meowth hissed angrily at Sun. His fur all puffed up, Gaffe still wanted to fight. He wanted to prove that he didn't need this impudent human's help to defeat another Pokémon. He was not at all perturbed when he noticed the left side of Sun's mouth convulsing crazily. What did it matter to him what the boy thought? When the red laser flashed from the pokeball, Gaffe quickly jumped out of the way, still hissing. Cloud shook his head with a disapproving frown. The spectators mirrored that expression albeit with some confusion at the sudden show of disobedience from the Alolan meowth. Even so they were surprised to still see that smile on Sun's face, still twitching madly away.

Sun did not try to recall the catlike Pokémon a second time. Instead, he hooked the pokeball back on his belt. "All right. I don't mind fighting with a handicap anyway," he whispered to Cloud. During the initial battle, he could tell that Gaffe had learned a new move. However said move could only be performed under certain circumstances. Gaffe was stuck using the same old moves to fight. And with Joey suddenly calling out his metapod, Sun surmised that this battle would take a bit longer. He heard Dexter beep again:

_Metapod, the cocoon Pokémon and evolved form of Caterpie. Its hard shell is filled with its soft innards. It doesn't move much due to the risk of it accidentally spilling its innards out, so intense battles with it should be avoided._

"Metapod, use Tackle!" Joey shouted. Apparently the kid didn't pay much attention to the pokedex entry as he had his Pokémon hop across the battlefield to slam into his opponent. Gaffe arrogantly walked to the side, making the move miss him entirely. He unsheathed his claws to Scratch the metapod. Even Sun winced slightly when he saw the seemingly deep marks in the bug shell. Thankfully the attack wasn't enough to tear through. Otherwise the janitor would have had a disgusting field day cleaning up.

"Be careful, Joey!" the other young student, Mia, called. He waved to her in response.

"I know! Harden!"

"Don't let it," Sun said simply. He didn't bother to specify a move, knowing that the trivial situation wouldn't force Gaffe into obeying him. The Alolan meowth seemingly ignored the command and continued to Scratch at the metapod. At one point he attempted to clap his paws together to create a shockwave to stop his opponent from moving. However it infuriated him that the move had no effect. Sun had a feeling that his Pokémon would have attempted Fake Out in this battle. That was one of the reasons why he wanted to switch Gaffe out. Didn't matter. He could always switch to use Gaffe in another battle, if he really wanted to.

Despite the metapod's best efforts, he couldn't continue to defend. When his trainer told him to use String Shot, Gaffe easily ripped the silk to shreds with his claws. When Joey commanded the Bug Bite attack, Gaffe proved to be too fast for Metapod's hit to land. Eventually even Metapod couldn't muster up enough strength to Harden his shell. At that point Gaffe switched from Scratch to Bite. The moment his fangs sunk into the other Pokémon, Gaffe's opponent shut his eyes tightly in pain.

"Stop, stop! This battle goes to Sun and his meowth!" Emily quickly cut in before Gaffe could do any more serious damage to her student's Pokémon. At the official call for the end of the battle, Joey quickly returned his metapod, saving him. While he didn't like how the fight went especially since it seemed so short compared to his fellow student's, he still appreciated the experience. Even so he wished that the opposing trainer showed some restraint. Sun was still smiling with the left side of his smile twitching a lot. The student started walking back when Joseph spoke up.

"Teacher, are you sure this battle should go to Sun? I mean, he didn't even tell his meowth to do anything. The meowth was just doing its own thing."

"Oh?" Sun asked softly. Before his own Pokémon could react, the trainer whipped out Gaffe's pokeball. The laser quickly hit the Alolan meowth, returning him without much fuss. Cloud couldn't stop his little heart from pounding rapidly when he saw how tightly his trainer held onto the pokeball. Thankfully, Sun didn't possess the strength to grind the capsule to dust. Instead he hooked it back onto his belt and faced the arrogant student. "Perhaps you'd like a turn to battle me now? I'll be more than happy to show you how incompetent you are."

Joseph simply smiled, somehow managing to keep his anger from boiling over. "Nah. You have to prove that you deserve to battle me. I'm the best of Teacher's students after all."

"Unfortunately I find that very hard to believe," Sun said as his grin twitched slightly on its right side in amusement. "But sure. I'll play your little game. I'll make this next battle quick." The boy tossed a pokeball into the air and caught it at the right moment it fell back down. "And I'll make our battle even quicker."

"I'll like to see you try!" the student shot back. Sun retained his smile. Good. He got on his future opponent's nerves.

"Now, now." Emily finally stepped in between the argument. "These battles are for fun and experience, not beating your opponent into a pulp. If you two cannot control your tongues, we won't be continuing today. That includes you, Sun."

The boy's mouth twitched slightly in annoyance. He knew that the teacher couldn't do much to him should he decide to disobey her. However he decided he'd listen for now. Joseph also begrudgingly agreed.

Professor Kukui laughed. "A little rivalry is good and all, but Teach has a point. If you don't show good sportsmanship, then battles won't be any fun at all, yeah!"

"I'll keep that in mind, Professor," Sun said cheerfully albeit with a cold light in his eyes. He looked over at the last student before Joseph. It amused him so how frightened she looked as she gripped the ends of her dress tightly with her little hands. "Come on. Let's get this battle started."

Mia tightened her mouth as she shook her head. This made Hiromi bend down and whisper a few words into her ear. Whatever the older student said seemed to have driven away some of the little girl's fright as she shuffled to the opposite circle. Her opponent continued to smile at her, creeping her out. Still, she swallowed her fear and threw her pokeball.

"G-go, Bonsly!"

The moment the rock-type Pokémon appeared and looked at Sun, she started crying. Said trainer couldn't help but rub his temples in annoyance as Cloud covered his ears to block out the sound. He almost couldn't hear Dexter's entry:

_Bonsly, the bonsai Pokémon. It does not deal well with water, so it lives in dry locales. For its eyes, it can expel excess moisture from its body. This liquid is similar in composition to human sweat._

It was difficult to know which was worse, Pikipek's Echoed Voice or Bonsly's crying. Fortunately, Mia managed to calm her Pokémon down though Bonsly continued to sniffle and hiccup. It was a good thing that Sun decided to switch Gaffe out; otherwise this battle against the bonsly would definitely take longer than the other two battles.

"Blue Doll, let's go," Sun said as he released his Alolan starter. The popplio barked happily on his appearance, earning a wide smile from his own trainer. Upon surveying the area, Blue Doll saw the opposing Pokémon on the other side. He quickly guessed that his trainer wanted him to battle, and that was just fine with him. Both sides waited until the teacher's official call. The moment she uttered similar words for the third time, Sun started off in contrast to the other times he waited. "Blue Doll, Disarming Voice!"

His popplio obeyed immediately as he opened his mouth to fire a beam of purple hearts at his opponent. Unlike most Pokémon, Bonsly wasn't able to run away quick enough. The attack slammed into her and knocked her down. The bonsly sat up and began crying again, to which Mia also began to fluster.

"Come on, Mia! You can do it!" Hiromi called from the stands. The little student looked over in surprise before nodding warily. The support seemed to have done the trick as Mia switched her focus back on the battle.

She pointed to Blue Doll and commanded, "Bonsly, use Fake Tears!" Sun couldn't help but think that the opposing Pokémon didn't need to be told that. Still, the status attack had some use. Blue Doll hesitated in performing another Water Gun as Bonsly cried harder to lower his special defense. The popplio looked at his trainer uncertainly, feeling uncomfortable about attacking a defenseless opponent.

"Bwark?"

"It's fine, Blue Doll. Use Pound."

"Bwark!" Blue Doll refocused on the bonsly and sprung towards her. With a tough fin, he smacked the bonsai Pokémon away. Bonsly bounced on the ground a couple of times like a ball. Once she finally landed on her back, she stayed there for a bit before hopping up to run around in circles, tears in her eyes once again. Even if she was a rock-type, the attack still hurt her somewhat.

"I-It's okay, Bonsly!" Mia stammered nervously. "Use your Flail attack!" Somehow her Pokémon managed to hear her command through the sobs. Bonsly ran towards Blue Doll and tackled him in flailing motions. Blue Doll yelped in some pain as he struggled to get away from his opponent.

"That's enough. Water Gun."

The popplio stared the bonsly down. With a deep breath, Blue Doll fired off the super effective attack towards Bonsly. The rock-type Pokémon had no time to react at all, and the sudden rush of water swept her off her feet. The Water Gun's pressure pushed Bonsly back until she landed close to her trainer. Unlike the other time, Bonsly didn't get up. It took a moment for Mia to realize that her Pokémon fainted but when she did, tears began to swell up in her eyes as well. Thankfully, for Sun, the girl managed to hold it in as she whispered a "good job" to her bonsly in a shaky voice. Mia returned her Pokémon and quickly retreated to the safe company of her fellow students while Emily announced Sun's win for the third time in a row.

The teacher looked at Sun, clearly impressed with how he was holding up so far. "Good job. You're much better than I thought you would be." Sun's smile didn't falter. He nodded as if her praise meant something to him while patting Blue Doll on the head along with giving him a blue poke bean. However he was more concerned with the problem standing next to her, and he wasted no time addressing it.

"Oh, look. It's time for you to battle me. Unless…you're scared," Sun taunted. This time, nobody berated the trainer. While Cloud usually didn't encourage his trainer's taunting, he didn't mind it this time as Joseph's attitude also got on his nerves.

"Pika," Cloud agreed with sparks flying around his cheeks. Even Blue Doll seemed to have gotten the hint despite his naïve nature as the popplio stared at the last student with determination. Joseph only smiled back. If he was nervous for the upcoming battle, he didn't show it. The student didn't respond as he walked over to his position in the box. His fellow classmates and teacher said nothing with only their eyes speaking volumes of their anticipation. Professor Kukui, on the other hand, rubbed his hands together in sheer delight while Lillie tightened her lips in worry.

"Grimer, show them what you're made of!" Joseph shouted. He threw his pokeball into the air. At the mention of a familiar Pokémon, Sun half-expected a purple sludge to appear. He was caught slightly off-guard when he saw a green sludge with yellow lips and crystal teeth materialize instead. As ever, Dexter came to his rescue with information on this variant of grimer.

_Grimer, the sludge Pokémon. This form developed when a Grimer was brought in to solve a problem with garbage. The crystals are lumps of toxins and lethal poisons leak out if one falls off._

"Never thought grimer of all Pokémon would have an Alolan variant," Sun whispered to Cloud. His pikachu nodded in agreement as they examined the opposing Pokémon. It seemed to still be a poison-type. That much was clear. However, Sun knew that it had a second typing as well. If Dexter was closer, perhaps they could have seen exactly what that typing was. Fortunately that wasn't much of a problem as Sun also knew that Blue Doll could handle anything that came at him.

"Let the battle begin!"

"Grimer, use Bite!"

"Baby-Doll Eyes, Blue Doll."

The Alolan grimer tried to make his way over to the sea lion Pokémon in order to attack. However Blue Doll moved too fast for Grimer to catch him. Once he was a good distance away, he stared at the other Pokémon with large, cute eyes to lower his opponent's attack stat. The slightly dopey face on Grimer's face changed to that of a grimace. Sun's smile widened slightly when he saw his opponent gritting his teeth slightly. While the move and its typing were pretty new to him, Sun found it much more useful than Growl, especially with its increased priority. Too bad for his opponent. Speaking of which, Joseph swiped the air in front of him angrily.

"Use Bite again!"

"Water Gun." Blue Doll responded before Grimer could even move. He shot the blast of water at the Alolan variant. Somehow the slimy Pokémon held his own and wasn't washed away by the powerful stream. He tried to slug right towards the sea lion Pokémon but every time the Alolan grimer got too close, Blue Doll slid away to continue his watery barrage. Sun nodded to himself in delight at Blue Doll's performance. Their training paid off much more than he expected.

He was still curious about Alolan grimer's potential, second typing. Grimer seemed to take normal damage from the Water Gun, so no grass, water, dragon, fire, ground, or rock-type. That also meant that Pound would do normal damage. Even though Sun read that fairy-type moves were not effective against fire, steel, and poison-types, he also knew that fairy-type moves were effective against dragon, dark, and fighting-types. The Alolan grimer didn't look to be part fighting or part steel. So now there was a one out of eight chance that Disarming Voice would inflict normal damage. Yup, those odds looked good to him.

Despite whatever the distraught grimer did, his opponent kept sliding out of his range. Joseph had to change tactics quickly. Unfortunately his grimer only knew physical moves. So he could only do indirect damage, if his next move even hit. "Poison Gas attack!"

"Grime..mer!" The Alolan grimer inhaled deeply and exhaled a thick brown toxic gas. Immediately the spectators covered the mouths and noses to avoid breathing in the fumes. Sun's smile twitched wildly on its left side when he saw his popplio coughing, signaling that Blue Doll had unluckily breathed in the toxin. Cloud's worried cry also confirmed it. Joseph attempted to use this moment of time to attack.

"Now use Bite!"

Sun countered instantly.

"Disarming Voice."

Blue Doll gritted his teeth from the pain of the poison. He almost didn't make it in time as Grimer closed in. However he managed to squeeze his eyes shut and shriek the beam of purple hearts towards his opponent. Its properties ensured that the attack landed, the small distance separating the two Pokémon only serving to inflict more damage. Grimer whimpered slightly from the torturous sounds. Seeing how affected the grimer was by the attack, Sun guessed rightly that Alolan grimer's second typing was dark. That was just fine. It didn't matter. He had to end it now, before the poison did any more damage to his precious Blue Doll. Cloud shivered slightly when he saw his trainer point towards the Alolan grimer.

"Water Gun. Don't let up." The popplio obeyed instantly. He shot another stream of water towards Grimer. For some reason, the attack this time dealt more damage. Even when Grimer attempted to move out of the way, Blue Doll wouldn't let him dodge. The grimer finally couldn't take it anymore and slumped in defeat. The ending came so fast, it took a moment for everyone to process it.

"No way!" Joseph shouted in disbelief. He stared angrily at his fainted Pokémon before glaring at Sun. The right side of that infuriating smile twitched slightly on Sun's face as he called Blue Doll over to him. The popplio cried out happily while flopping over to his trainer. He immediately received loving pats and rubs along with a squeak of congratulations from Cloud. Sun took out an antidote to spray on his Pokémon. Even as Blue Doll squealed slightly in discomfort, the boy firmly continued to administer the antidote. When the poison looked to be fully dispelled from Blue Doll's system, Sun picked up his Pokémon in order to hug him tightly.

"Great job, Blue Doll! You were amazing out there!"

"Bwark! Bwark!" the popplio squealed in delight. The happy Pokémon also turned his grin on Cloud when the pikachu offered his own congratulations. Sun's smile widened before he looked over at his former opponent. By that time, Joseph had already returned his Alolan grimer. The student's face still showed his anger as he shoved his fists into his pants pocket. He was about to move towards his other classmates but hesitated for a moment. Before his teacher could say anything, Joseph marched over to Sun.

Sun kept his smile stock-still as his opponent thrust a hand towards him. "Good battle," he muttered. Even though he could tell Joseph thought no such thing, Sun accepted the hand for the good sportsmanship the student went for.

"Yes, it was." He thought about rubbing his win in for a moment but in a surprising show of good grace decided not to.

"I'll say!" Professor Kukui's voice suddenly boomed. "You both got a real sense for how to use moves. You should be proud of yourselves."

"Yes, you did a good job, Joseph, and an even better job afterwards." Teacher Emily nodded in appreciation of Joseph's action. Now that he was put on the spot, the student scratched his head sheepishly. Then she turned her attention to Sun. "Sun, I can't believe you beat all four of my students! Fantastic! After seeing such a performance, I think I'll like to battle you myself!" She smiled as she pulled out a pokeball. "What do you say? Are you ready to take me on?" Her students looked at each other excitedly. They, especially one specific student, truly wanted to see their teacher in action and put this outsider in his place.

Sun looked at his Pokémon in question. Blue Doll looked at him curiously, a smile still on his adorable face. Cloud, on the other hand, shrugged.

"Pika. Pikachu. Pi pi," Cloud muttered. Sun nodded thoughtfully.

"Yes, I can always use you in case things don't work out. But I would rather everybody else, yes, including Gaffe, get the experience."

His pikachu nodded. He had a feeling his trainer would say that. He honestly didn't mind, but he was always ready just in case Sun needed extra firepower. Still… "Pikachu, pi, pi. Chu."

"Of course." Then the boy raised his voice. "Of course, I accept your challenge, Teacher Emily. But first, I would like to heal my Pokémon. After all, fighting an exhausted team isn't the way to go, isn't it?"

"I understand. Do you need potions or anything?"

"I can help him, Teacher," Lillie piped up. She quickly made her way over to Sun. Dexter tagged along to dash all around his master excitedly. Unzipping a separate compartment from Nebby's slot, the girl pulled out a couple of potions. "Your Pokémon did a great job, Sun," she whispered as she handed him the potions.

"That waz amazing, Governor!" Dexter's eyes and screen lit up brightly. "I never zaw anything like it! And we got zooo much new information too!" Sun's smile widened at the praise.

"Thanks," he said in response to both compliments along with the healing items. "But I probably could have done better with Gaffe, right?" Lillie bit her lips at the remark. Although she did want to agree with her friend, for some reason she felt awkward doing so. She looked up indignantly when she heard Sun chuckling a bit. He couldn't help it. The girl just looked so uncomfortable at the possibility of scolding him. "It's fine, Lillie. I know. Anyways…" He pulled out said Pokémon's pokeball and released said Pokémon.

Gaffe shook his head quickly before realizing he was outside again. Immediately he hissed at Sun, still slighted from the trainer suddenly returning him. Even a dangerous look in the boy's eyes couldn't deter him from voicing his offense. It was only until Cloud squeaked a warning with sparks flying around his cheeks that Gaffe crossed his arms and looked away. Seeing how the Alolan meowth obviously held even more resentment towards him, Sun handed Lillie one of the potions.

"I'm sorry to ask, but can you take care of him? At this rate, he would scratch me and Cloud would shock him."

Lillie wanted to protest since she wanted Sun to practice getting used to Gaffe. However what he said made sense. If that were to happen, then the potion would have gone to waste. And besides, the teacher was waiting on them. They shouldn't drag this any longer than they needed. While Sun took care of Blue Doll, Lillie reached for Gaffe. Cloud jumped from Sun's shoulders to walk around to where Gaffe faced. The Alolan meowth scowled when he saw the mouse Pokémon. He also noticed the blonde girl moving closer to him. He hissed at her, causing her to stop.

"Pika pika. Pi. Chu," Cloud warned. Gaffe looked at the pikachu and saw that he wasn't playing any games. When it seemed safe, Lillie reached out to the injured arm from before. She sprayed the potion, stopping occasionally Gaffe hissed in pain. At least he bore with it until she was done. Lillie smiled brightly even though the Alolan meowth couldn't see it.

"There! Good as new."

Since it didn't seem like Gaffe was going to thank her, Cloud did so instead. "Pika." She smiled in appreciation.

"Thanks, Lillie." Sun also finished caring for Blue Doll. He returned Gaffe before the Pokémon could voice any protest, surprising Lillie for a moment. "Don't worry. I plan to use him later."

"…okay, if you say so…" the girl muttered as she gathered herself. She gave Sun one last look before returning to her spot next to Professor Kukui. Sun's smile moved slightly on its right side. Although he was touched by her concern, he also couldn't help but be amused by it. He then refocused his attention on his opponent now standing opposite of him. Emily held a pokeball proudly in her hand. Her eyes, though reflecting excitement, also displayed a steely determination to show this arrogant trainer her capabilities.

"Are you ready, Sun?"

"I'm always ready," the trainer replied.

Emily smiled. Drawing her arm back, she snapped it forward quickly to throw the capsule. "Go, Magnemite!" The electric-and-steel type floated in the air. Its single eye stared at Sun blankly, but he could feel the magnemite examining him closely.

_Magnemite, the magnet Pokémon. They gather in places where electricity is available, such as steel towers used to support power lines. It eats that electricity, and it sends out electromagnetic waves that let it float through the air and shock you._

Sun crossed his arms with a hand at his chin. No doubt both Blue Doll and Gaffe would struggle in this matchup. However he wanted to use one of them rather than relying on Cloud.

After a moment's thought, he finally decided on his choice. "Blue Doll, you're up!" He ignored the curious murmurs at the sidelines. He didn't have time to be distracted by unimportant people's opinions about his choices.

The water-type cheered happily as he made his way forward onto the battlefield again. Once he was ready Blue Doll stared down the magnemite, unwilling to fall to type advantage. If magnemite had a mouth, Sun was certain that this one would be smirking right now.

"Thunder Shock!" The teacher wasted no time as she ordered the super effective move. Likewise Magnemite swung its magnet arms around to generate said electricity. With a loud buzz, the magnet Pokémon shot the attack towards Blue Doll. The starter could not react quickly enough, and his pained cry shot through Sun's heart.

"Blue Doll!" It was the first time Lillie heard some sort of panic in Sun's voice, and that scared her. Even though she had only known Sun for a short time, she saw him as such a strong and unshakable person. The fact that he was able to display some sort of fear unconsciously reassured her that he was still human, that he felt other emotions just like everybody else.

The slight panic caused Sun's smile to fade slightly. Then it returned to its original shape, but it twitched wildly on its left side, expressing the boy's anger at the pain his beloved Pokémon went through. Other than that sign of his fury, he kept his wits about him. Sun felt something digging into his shoulders, and he realized that Cloud clutched his paws so tightly in regret that he couldn't take the electricity for his comrade. Eyes ablaze, the boy pointed to the opposing Pokémon. "Water Gun."

The popplio inhaled deeply before blasting water towards Magnemite. The attack hit the magnet Pokémon square in the eye as it didn't expect its opponent to react so soon and so violently. It staggered in the air before shaking to clear its sight of water. Once Magnemite could open its eye again, it buzzed in surprise at the sudden blue fin in its vision. Blue Doll knocked Magnemite down towards the ground. It bounced once like a regular ball. Then, using its electromagnetic waves to pull itself back into the air, Magnemite glared at its opponent.

"I'm surprised. Your popplio is very resilient. I don't remember too many water-types surviving my magnemite's Thunder Shock," Emily praised. Sun smiled in response though it didn't seem as though he accepted her statement. The left side of his mouth still convulsed wildly.

"We work hard," he simply said.

"I can certainly see that. Magnemite, use Thunder Shock again!" Emily ordered.

"Baby-Doll Eyes."

Before the magnet Pokémon could obey its trainer's command, Blue Doll opened his eyes wide and stared at Magnemite cutely. Despite itself it couldn't bring itself to attack such an adorable face so violently. Emily gritted her teeth in slight anger. Even though that specific attack shouldn't really do much considering that Thunder Shock was a special attack, Sun somehow managed to find a different use for the attack-lowering move.

"Let's try a Thunder Wave, Magnemite!"

"Use Aqua Jet, Blue Doll," Sun countered. Lillie heard an appreciative sound from the Pokémon professor next to her. When she looked over to the man, he had a wide grin while his eyes reflected a slightly surprised light.

"Wow. Didn't think Sun's popplio would learn that awesome move already, yeah."

"What do you mean, Professor?"

Professor Kukui chuckled. "It just means that Sun and Blue Doll have been battling more than I expected." He pointed to the field, drawing the girl's attention back to the battle. Lillie's eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw Blue Doll, wrapped in a jet of water, slam into Magnemite like a rocket. The attack did a lot more damage than Blue Doll's initial Pound as the magnemite shook itself free of water again. Sparks flew from the electric and steel type, its one eye narrowed.

"Supersonic!"

"Disarming Voice."

Magnemite pointed its magnets towards the seal Pokémon as he inhaled deeply. Simultaneously they released their attacks, causing nearly everybody to plug their ears at the combined screeching. Sun felt slightly guilty when he heard Cloud squeak in pain, and even Dexter sizzled in irritation. However the move had to be done in order to avoid the scenario Teacher Emily wanted for Blue Doll. The two moves collided and caused a small dust cloud to cover the battle area. Hands moved from ears to eyes as the wind attempted to clean up the small explosion. When the cloud cleared, both Pokémon still seemed to stand strong. Magnemite failed to confuse Blue Doll, and Blue Doll failed to do any more damage. However, the magnemite sizzled slightly, its one eye staring at the popplio warily while the seal Pokémon himself tried to hold his ground.

"Aqua Jet."

Surrounding himself in water once again, Blue Doll rocketed towards Magnemite with all the intention of causing it to faint. The popplio moved too fast for Magnemite to dodge without some damage inflicted. And that certainly would have been the case if Teacher Emily didn't do anything.

However she wasn't ready to lose just yet. If she got lucky, she could either defeat Sun's popplio here or end things in a draw. She told her magnemite to remain steady. Once the teacher judged that the opponent was close enough that he wouldn't be able to change direction, she shouted, "Thunder Shock now!"

Magnemite charged up the electricity needed for its attack. The moment the popplio hit his opponent, he felt a scary, familiar energy surge painfully through his body. Despite the agony he felt, Blue Doll understood that this was his moment. If he didn't end it now, Magnemite would be able to turn things around. The water starter gritted his teeth to bear the super effective move for the second time. He mustered his strength for the sake of his trainer and somehow managed to put even more force into his Aqua Jet.

Blue Doll knocked Magnemite out of the air for the third time today. However, unlike the other times, Magnemite couldn't find enough electromagnetic waves to keep itself afloat again. Rather it struggled for a brief second before it fainted. The popplio landed a meter away from the fainted Pokémon. He panted in exhaustion at how much energy he had to exert to finish this fight. Yet a wide smile lit his face when he heard Sun praising him.

"Great job, Blue Doll!" Sun yelled as he spread his arms out.

"Bwark!" With newfound, miraculous vigor, Blue Doll flopped his way to his trainer. Happiness almost made the popplio burst once Sun picked him up and hugged him close. He constantly clapped his flippers in joy at the care his trainer gave him. While the boy and his Pokémon celebrated their victory, it took Teacher Emily a moment to take in what had happened. Her shocked expression disappeared as she smiled sadly at Magnemite.

"Magnemite, return." The red laser from the pokeball returned the fainted Pokémon. Emily looked at the pokeball gratefully. "You earned a nice, long rest. Well, well, well, Sun. I certainly didn't expect your popplio to defeat Magnemite so easily, especially with Magnemite's advantage."

Sun looked up to smile widely at the teacher. He patted Blue Doll's head in adoration before saying, "It was no easy feat, believe me. You gave us quite a challenge." Despite his truthful statement, he didn't want to waste any more time here. He wanted to continue his journey already yet he made sure to keep the impatience out of his voice. "I'm ready when you are."

"Haha, I'm definitely ready. I think this next battle will prove to be as interesting as the first! Go, Meowth!" Emily threw her second pokeball into the air. The second he heard that name, Sun's smile twitched slightly. True to her words an Alolan meowth appeared. The female Pokémon crossed her arms and smiled snootily at Sun. She could already sense the animosity from the opposing trainer, something that didn't bother her the slightest.

Sun gave Blue Doll one loving squeeze before returning him for a well-deserved rest. Cloud looked at him curiously with a questioning squeak. Although the pikachu doubted that Sun would use him as much as both of them wanted to wipe that smug-ass grin off the meowth, it still didn't hurt to ask.

The trainer shook his head in response. Again he wanted his newer Pokémon to get the experience as Cloud already had enough for the time being. His pikachu nodded in acknowledgement. Despite that desire though, Sun still couldn't stop the distaste from filling his mouth when he slightly reluctantly released Gaffe.

As always, the Alolan meowth hissed angrily at Sun. However this time Sun didn't let his Pokémon do as he pleased. They were battling against an experienced foe, and Sun had no wish to destroy his winning streak now because Gaffe disobeyed him.

"I am not in the mood to tolerate anything, Gaffe," Sun said only loud enough for the offender and nearby bystander to hear. "I suggest you listen to _all_ my orders, or else." He saw Gaffe's back shiver slightly at the threat but the meowth still tried to play it cool. Gaffe looked at his opponent, mirroring her expression of hauteur. The trainer could only assume that his Pokémon would obey his commands now. Only one way to find out, and Sun never thought he could stomach the sight of two meowths in front of him, with one of them belonging to him no less. However he placed his hatred for the Pokémon aside in favor of the battle ahead.

"Fake Out!" both trainers called out at the same time. As if controlled by the same entity, both meowth rushed forward. They clapped their paws together to form a recoiling shockwave. Comically they flinched at the same time from the other's attack. The start wasn't really that bad in Sun's mind though. It looked like Gaffe took only a little bit more damage than the other meowth. The other meowth also seemed a bit faster than Gaffe as when Emily ordered a Scratch attack, Sun's meowth barely had time to react.

He yowled in slight pain, reeling away from his opponent with his paws covering his face. When he uncovered his face, Sun's smile twitched slightly on its right at the sight of three red, scratch marks right across Gaffe's face. While he enjoyed seeing the Alolan meowth in pain, he reminded himself he was there to win. The young trainer pointed towards the opposing Pokémon. "Use Scratch."

Gaffe unsheathed his own claws to swipe at the other Pokémon. Meowth dodged the first strike but she couldn't escape from the second and third Scratches that came after.

"Growl."

Sun's Alolan meowth scowled. He wanted to continue attacking the other scratch cat Pokémon to show who was truly better. However with great difficulty he suppressed his instinct and obeyed the command. Gaffe leapt away, Growled loudly, and lowered Meowth's attack. Meowth gritted her teeth as she flattened her ears to block out the horrible sound. Despite that, she still heard it and her trainer's new order.

"Use your own Growl!"

"Bite."

The moment Meowth opened her mouth to counter the stat change, Gaffe rushed in with his fangs glistening. Rather than a Growl a pained shriek escaped from Meowth's mouth. The female cat attempted to Scratch at Gaffe's face again. However, Gaffe skillfully swerved away and continued to use Bite on her tail.

"Try Growl again!" Emily said. Meowth gritted her teeth to bear the pain before Growling loudly. Gaffe hissed in annoyance as the attack drove him away from the other meowth. In his escape he had to dodge another Scratch attack that Meowth attempted to use on him. "Now use Bite!"

"Mmwwrrr!" Meowth raced towards Gaffe to give him a taste of his own medicine.

"Dodge it," Sun ordered. Gaffe hissed though it was difficult to tell whether he directed it at Sun or the opposing Alolan meowth. Either way, when his opponent got close enough, Gaffe easily leapt out of the way. In an impressive reverse of directions, Meowth turned to catch Gaffe unawares. She then clamped her teeth down on Gaffe's shoulders, smirking slightly at his agonized screech. The audience cringed at the rather savage cat fight. It was interesting to see how calm the two trainers were as they directed their Pokémon to battle.

Emily smiled. "Good job, Meowth." She saw her Pokémon's tail swish in acknowledgement of the praise. The teacher then turned her attention to her opponent, noting how unperturbed he seemed to be. Compared to how he reacted when his popplio got hurt, Sun barely showed any signs of distress upon seeing Gaffe struggle. Even his pikachu couldn't help but look at the scratch cat Pokémon worriedly. It was a bit jarring and confusing to Emily how a trainer could clearly love one of his Pokémon but obviously loathe another Pokémon. She had to wonder why he bothered using Gaffe in the first place if he acted like he didn't care for the Alolan meowth's wellbeing. Either way, she was determined to win this battle, especially since Sun had no qualms with how much Gaffe got hurt. The teacher swiped her arm in command. "Now use Scratch!"

"Scratch attack, Gaffe," Sun said coldly.

While the teacher's meowth still bit into Gaffe's shoulder, she raised her paw in order to Scratch him as well. However Gaffe reacted quickly to Sun's command, faster than anybody remembered him doing so. The male meowth managed to deflect the female meowth's paw away partially because she struck at an awkward angle. He used his other claws to slash at his opponent, prompting her to relinquish her hold on him. Before she could react though, Gaffe quickly closed the distance between them to Scratch her again. Meowth cried out in pain and took several steps backwards as she clutched her chest. That made her wide open to Gaffe's sudden kick that sent her backwards to crash onto the ground. The end arrived so fast that it took a moment for everybody to realize it.

Stunned silence filled the air before claps resonated to drive it away. Sun turned to see who created the noise, and his heart nearly stopped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Damn freakin' six battles in one chapter. I think that a six-on-six battle between two people only would be much easier than this...I probably should have split the battles into two chapters, but I didn't want to with what I have planned later. Congratulations to anybody who managed to get through this chapter.
> 
> 2\. Sun has been training Blue Doll (not Gaffe, of course) on his own between chapters. I myself grinded my Pokémon in both Moon and Ultra Moon until they were about 10 levels higher than the surrounding wild Pokémon, I believe. How do I do that? Don't know. Hard work and determination, I guess.
> 
> 3\. Yes, I did also get Ultra Moon. Unfortunately the story didn't have much impact on me as much as Moon did, which was pretty disappointing. In Moon, even though I knew that Lusamine was going to be evil from the getgo, it was still pretty shocking to see it once she actually revealed herself. In Ultra Moon...well, I just didn't like how the characters really turned out and that made the story flat. I did appreciate Hau's character development, which redeemed the game a little bit. Still, I choose Moon's storyline over Ultra Moon's, even if Mantine Surf for some reason is fun as hell...
> 
> 4\. This story will still follow the storyline of Sun and Moon. Plot points of Ultra Sun and Moon may come in future story in the same, eventual series as this story...if I manage to do it...I started on a new Pokémon story so updates for this story would definitely be a lot slower.
> 
> But anyways, hope you guys enjoyed and I'll see you guys next time.


End file.
